The Servant: The Griever Saga
by Piccolo Sky
Summary: The untold story of Bahamut. In this first installment, the young Bahamut and his brothers and sisters crusade against a ruthless tyrant.
1. Happy Birthday

Hello everyone! It's Piccolo Sky again! Or...maybe for the first time for you.

If you've been keeping up on me, you're probably a little surprised to see me posting again so soon. Well, I decided to go ahead and try something out. If you know me, you know I like to post stories in their complete form. I like reviews as much as the next guy, but I hate keeping people in suspense, and I especially hate threatening readers to end the story early if they don't give me reviews of my current chapter.

That said...one of my readers said that if I wanted to get more people to read my stuff, I should try posting it in installments. Otherwise, by the time a reader gets around to finding it, it's already buried under four web pages worth of new postings. So for once...I figured I'd try it out. This isn't the full story, just the first chapter...the first of MANY...

Well, the formalities are out of the way. Let's talk about the fanfiction you're about to read!

Right from the day that the original Final Fantasy bumbled it's overly large file size onto the NES so that the first boss could blurt, "I, Garland, will knock you down!", my favorite Final Fantasy character has been big, bad Bahamut. Powerful...wise...and always in a positionover your own heroes.In some games he's rather sadistic, in others egotistical, but in most he is the ultimate esper who is out to help you in some way. It has been very nice to see him over the years from one game to another.

Now, most people would say that each Final Fantasy game takes place in its own universe. I do not. I think of them all taking place on the same world. This could cause numerous problems and confusions, but if it was true then it would mean that Bahamut would be one of the only personalities that continues to exist through all the games. And for years, I fantasized about how Bahamut's history would unfold through these games. With each new game that came out, one of my first thoughts on completion would be, "How would Bahamut's own personal story tie into this?"

With this in mind, prepare to read the beginning of a monstrously long fanfiction. In its current form (which isn't all posted here, of course), the fanfiction is only a quarter of the way completed, and it is already one of the longest fanfictions I have ever done. You have the potential to enjoy this fanfiction on three different levels...

1. The fanfiction is, most basically, the story of Bahamut. Everything that has happened over his eons of life from his birth to his rise to power, his kingship to his fall, his death to his rebirth...and far beyond.

2. This fanfiction is also a viewpoint on how many of the deep seated evils that later permeate the world of Final Fantasy began, as well as how many of the great wonders of the world came to be.

3. Finally, this fanfiction is a supreme "unifier". This fanfiction is a crossover of almost every Final Fantasy in the main series, and will at least contain allusions to FFI-X.

This fanfiction is so monstrously huge that one subsection on will not be able to hold it. Hence, "The Servant" is broken down into six smaller fanfictions (but each one is still rather large). Chapter One of the first, "The Griever Saga", is what you are about to read.

Furthermore, although this is indeed a monstrous Final Fantasy crossover, if you are reading it simply to see the elements from other Final Fantasy games, you may want to look elsewhere or bear with the story for a while. The story won't really start going through the Final Fantasy games until the second fanfiction. Also, if you're not a particular fan of Final Fantasy VII, you may want to look elsewhere. By the time this story reaches the fourth fanfiction, the story will have gone from a crossover to almost entirely a Final Fantasy VII fanfic, and will remain so for the rest of the series.

With these things in mind, read and enjoy! (Pause) You can't do one or the other. You must do both! (Evil eye)

* * *

**THE SERVANT**

* * *

_The Griever Saga_

* * *

"One of the great tragedies in nature is when a creatures finds out, while still young, that it is inevitably going to die. Time becomes a shifty character that day. Do you take his hand like an old friend and calmly walk along the road? Or do you cower like a ragged crook awaiting the executioner? Do you take the sands falling from his hourglass as a reminder to yourself of your own temporality? Or do you run like mad...fearing the old madman catching up with you and finishing his prey?"

* * *

_I dub thee…Bahamut…_

The small creature cracked its eyelids, first one, then the other, and peered out into the world. The sky was blue, and a gentle breeze went by. That was all. The creature opened is mouth and yawned. It stretched out its small little limbs and separated each of its claws. It uncurled its tail and let it extend over its surroundings. Its tiny little wings fully unfurled with the sound of the leathery skin unsticking as they came out. Once they had reached their full height, the creature recoiled them, then raised its serpentine head. Its neck popped, and it turned its head from side to side. Its serpentine eyes blinked again and looked about.

The creature soon saw that a nest of straw and other small pieces of wood have been woven around it, and that it was sleeping within the confines of the nest. As it continued to look around, recognition began to stir in its brain. Knowledge began to materialize spontaneously, and things that the creature didn't know it had known until now appeared. Memories began to be forged, and the creature began to sense time for the first time in its life. But it didn't know what happened before that, where it was, or why it was there.

Suddenly, its wondering was made short as it felt something pressing hard against its side. It was forceful and rough, and, caught off guard, the lizard creature found itself suddenly pushed to the edge of the nest, closer to where it dropped off. The creature grew nervous. All that it could see besides the nest was blue, and it didn't think it could stand on that. It turned its head to see what was pushing it.

Much to its surprise, it saw another creature just like it. The only exceptions were that while the creature itself was a dark blue, the other was a dark red. For a moment, the creature wondered if the other was surroundings or a part of itself. But when it began to move without it telling it to, it knew that it wasn't a part of it nor nonliving. It was pushed again, and inched closer to the edge. The creature began to frown. Then, suddenly, knowledge of strange noises filled its mind, and in a desire to express its wishes to the other creature, babble stumbled out of its mouth.

"Stop pushing me!"

Both creatures froze at that and looked up to the first creature. That one rose a talon to its mouth, shocked at the sounds it had just made. Somehow, it knew that if it wanted the other creature to stop pushing it, it had to utter those sounds out loud, moving its tongue and teeth as it did so. However, it was soon surprised again as the other creature also made sounds.

"I…understood that!"

The former creature now recoiled along with the other. The first creature realized it too understood what the thing was saying, and the red creature shrank back as it realized it too could make sounds to express its thoughts. Both of them, now quite confused with each other and where they were, blinked and looked at each other. Then, at last, the blue creature risked making sounds again.

"I guess…uh…I can talk…"

The red one swallowed. "Uh…me too. I can understand your noises…"

"I can too…"

"Er…"

"Um…"

"…This is weird. How come I can't understand that blowing around me then?"

"Well…I guess that there's only some things we know how to say so far…I think."

The red one blinked. "I don't remember learning how…" It mused aloud. However, after a few moments, it merely shrugged its shoulders, raising its wings as it did so. "Oh well." He answered, and then proceeded to shove into the blue one again, backing him closer to the edge.

"Hey!" The blue one cried. "Stop that!"

"You're hogging the place!" He answered.

"So are you!"

"You kicked me first while you were asleep!"

"How did you even get here? I was here before you were!"

"Uh-uh!" The red one protested. "I was!"

"No I was!"

"Oh yeah? Then how did you get here?"

The blue one froze. In all truth, he didn't remember. In fact, the only thing he could remember was waking up a few moments ago. Before that, he couldn't remember a thing, especially not learning how to talk and move and all that. He swallowed, and shrugged. "I…I dunno…" However, before the red one could seize on the opportunity, he called out a challenge. "How did _you _get here?"

"I've always been here." The red one confidently replied.

"Since when?"

"Since…uh…a long time ago."

"How long?"

"You're hogging the place!" The red one shot back, changing the subject and shoving the blue one again.

"Cut it out!" He protested. "What are you, anyway? And why do you look like me?"

"Like you?" The red one replied in shock. "You look like me! And I'm a Wyvern. What kind of creature are you? Another Wyvern?"

The blue one hesitated. What was he anyway? Wyvern… He was sure he had never heard that word before. He was sure he had never been called it, despite his lack of a memory. But then again, as he continued to think, he did remember dimly something calling him some name… It was black and dark…cold everywhere… But he could still recall being addressed a single time…

"…Bahamut." The blue creature answered. "I'm…Bahamut."

"Well, Bahamut," The red one answered, seeming rather straightforward. "You're hogging the place!" And with that, Wyvern suddenly rushed forward and butted Bahamut with all of his strength. That was too much for the young creature. It called out in shocked, flailed its arms for a moment, flapped its wings ineffectually, and finally lost all control. Giving out a cry, he spilled backward and fell off of the nest.

Colors, blue and all sorts of other bright tones, flooded around Bahamut for a moment. He cried out in terror, thinking that he was going to fall into the blueness and be lost forever. That bunch of sticks and straw was all he had known, and now he was out in the middle of nowhere. He was doomed… He screamed and tumbled through the air a few times, thinking he would be doing so the rest of his life…

Until he suddenly landed on something soft and hard. Rather, it felt soft on the outside but hard on the inside. Bahamut continued to scream for a moment, thinking he was still falling. However, it only took a few moments for him to realize he had stopped. He cut off his tone, and then blinked in confusion and puzzlement. He raised his head a bit, and looked around to try and see where he was and what new world he had ventured into outside of that small area.

There was still a lot of the blue everywhere. It filled most of the world around the young creature. The area that wasn't blue was mostly looking hard and crumbly and dark colored. Right behind him, Bahamut saw that the pile of sticks and straw had been built up on top of a pile of the substance. It surrounded him all the way around, but in some places was covered with stringy green things in large clumps or mats. There were a few odd things also around. Bahamut saw that there was some sort of clear blue stuff in a hole a short way down from where he was, and two long rope-like things were moving around in it. Some of his vision was cut off by the big thing that held his nest, but he could see another thing on the other side of it with another pile of sticks and straw on top. He also was laying on some white thing. It felt soft on top, but underneath it was something hard and lumpy. A small pink orb poked out from the edge of the soft covering, and it was covered with long brown strings. He couldn't be sure, but he thought the image on the pink orb was changing as he looked at it. Last of all, he found himself surrounded by a lot of puffy white material. The whole area was.

"Wow…" Bahamut remarked. But before he could ponder the meaning of what he just said, something else hard landed on top of him. He was soon pressed against the soft thing as the lumpy mass of what was Wyvern landed on top of him. Bahamut winced under the weight, and then looked up with some irritation. But the red creature wasn't thinking about him, but was looking around at the whole area and seeing all that Bahamut had seen.

"Amazing! Look at all the stuff!" Wyvern called out loud merrily. "It's all so…so…colorful…and odd shaped! I wonder how much of it's alive?"

Bahamut frowned. "_I'm _alive, and you're squishing me!"

"Me too!"

Both Bahamut and Wyvern leapt into the air and shrank back in terror. They looked to the source of the new sound, moreover one that they understood, and their eyes soon rested on the pink orb. It looked at them with what they thought was an angry look, and suddenly rose. As it did, the soft covering fell off of it, revealing that the hard thing was actually another creature. It was covered with soft pink stuff rather than scales, and it wore white thin stuff all over it. Some sort of shining metal was encircling its head. Its face was also much more compressed than theirs. Its teeth were far flatter and not nearly as menacing, and its eyes were circular rather than serpentine. At any rate, the creature frowned at them, and yelled at them in a voice that sounded much higher than theirs.

"You dummies! You woke me up!" The thing hesitated a moment, then looked them over for a brief second, and frowned more. "What kind of dumb looking girls are you, anyway?"

Wyvern instantly frowned. "I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!" With that, he turned curiously to Bahamut, and looked over him in puzzlement. "I'm not sure about that one though…"

Bahamut turned to him and snarled. "I'm a boy too!"

The creature scratched her head in confusion. "What's a boy?"

The other two stared at her for a moment, both obviously as confused. At last, Bahamut scratched his own head. "I dunno."

However, Wyvern grinned and looked more prideful. "It's better than every girl there is! Especially a boy Wyvern, and that's exactly what I am!"

The girl frowned. "You liar! A Starlet is just as good as a Wyvern! And that's what I am! A girl Starlet… That's even better than a regular Starlet!"

"Well, neither of you are better than the Odin."

All three froze at that, and turned their confused expressions over to who had spoken recently. Another creature like the girl was there. Only this one seemed to have huge horns and ears, and his eyes were red rather than blue, like the girl's. A large flap of something also was attached to its neck and going out over his back. Its arms were crossed and it gave a frown to all of them, looking bolder and more superior than all of them put together. Bahamut blinked a few times at it.

"What are you?"

"I'm Odin." The creature coldly answered. "I'm the best and baddest creature there is, and don't you weaklings forget it. And since I'm obviously better than a Wyvern, that makes me three times as good as a girl."

Hearing this, Starlet's pink face suddenly turned red colors. Quickly, she threw off the soft covering all together and jumped out of the raised area she was on. She marched bravely across the green thread stuff and right up into Odin's face. Her hands were on her hips and she frowned at him hard. "Listen you! I don't care what you say! A Starlet is plenty better than an Odin!"

"Sorry, but I'm the best. You're just a dumb old Starlet." The creature softly responded.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Prove it! I can do anything an Odin can!"

"Do you have a sword?"

Starlet hesitated, and blinked, then shrugged. "What's a sword?"

"You don't even know what a sword is." Odin mocked. "_I've_ got one. I'm better than a Starlet then."

Starlet frowned and fumed some more. She balled her hands into fists and shook them. "Oh yeah? Then where is this dumb old sword thing anyway?"

At this, Odin seemed to grow a bit nervous. Sweat began to form on his brow, and he swallowed. "Well…uh…it's a little heavy, and I couldn't bring it with me… But it's just on the other side of that hard thing!" Here, he pointed to where the piles of sticks and straw were mounted on. "I'll show it to you if you come to the other side."

"Ha!" Starlet shot back. "I bet you don't even have a sword! I bet you don't even know what one is!"

Odin flushed in anger. "I do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too-"

Odin froze, for Starlet suddenly got a mischievious look on her face, darted forward, and seized Odin's horns. In a rush, she pulled the horns, and what looked like the outside of Odin's head, right off his body. Giggling, she turned and began to run with the horns and head. Odin was shocked, and froze in surprise for a moment as she ran. But then, he grit his teeth and charged after her, bellowing at her to give it back immediately. Starlet just kept giggling and running, laughing behind her and taunting the angry Odin.

However, Bahamut and Wyvern had gotten bored a long time ago. Neither of them were girls, so they went their separate ways. Wyvern went over to the other large gray thing, and began to look around it. After a moment, he grabbed the sides of it, and then, testing slowly, making sure he could do it, began to crawl up the side toward the pile of sticks and straw at the top. Bahamut, on his part, became intrigued in the pool with the thin things swishing about inside of it. Blinking, and staying low to the ground, he walked toward it on all fours. He stayed cautious, only occasionally poking his head out at it. He knew very well that everything he had seen moving so far turned out to be alive, so he didn't want to risk upsetting another creature. Gradually, he made his way off the same raised area and onto the green stuff. It was soft, but not nearly as soft as the raised area had been. Nevertheless, he made his way over to the pool, and looked down inside.

Sure enough, two long things were swishing around in it. They were longer than Bahamut, but what he supposed was their heads were smaller than his. They seemed to be shifting their bodies from side to side in order to move through the liquid. Bahamut blinked and stared at them a long time. At last, however, one of their heads turned to him. Then, abruptly, it shot straight at him. Bahamut gasped, and quickly tore his head backward in surprise. Moments later, the head burst out of the liquid all together and came above water, and parts of the liquid went onto the green stuff. Bahamut stared in surprise.

The creature looked around a moment, and then frowned. "It's colder outside of the clear stuff…and I can't swim here…" He muttered aloud. But after that, he turned his full attention to Bahamut. "What're you looking at?" The creature asked challengingly.

"You." Bahamut responded simply, though still looking rather amazed.

"Well we don't like being looked at!" The thing shot back.

Moments later, there was another explosion out of the liquid, and the other thing's head was poking out. It too looked about in confusion for a moment, trying to make sense out of the new environment. But then, it turned its head to Bahamut as well. Just like himself and Wyvern, these two creatures were red and blue. "Yeah!" It shot out, echoing its partner. "We don't like being looked at!"

Bahamut blinked. "What are you things?"

"Leviathan." The blue one spoke.

"Ogopogo." The red one said at the same time.

Both of them then looked to each other, and with frowns said at the same time. "No I'm not!" A pause from both. "Well I'm not either!" They spoke again. They both frowned at each other a moment, then sighed and looked away from each other. They didn't seem to be in that good terms with one another. Bahamut continued to look at both of them, and finally he smiled a bit.

"You're funny creatures. What are you doing in that liquid? Why don't you come out on the green stuff like me?"

Both of them turned back to Bahamut at once, looking mildly surprised. But then, both of them smiled, and both developed a bold and self-upright look of pride.

"Ha!" Leviathan chimed. "We don't need to walk on that stupid green mat!"

"Yeah!" Ogopogo answered. "The best place to be is in this liquid! Out of it the world pulls down on us, but in it we can move anywhere!"

Bahamut hesitated a moment, but then frowned. "Being stuck in a pool doesn't seem that good. I wonder if a Bahamut is better than a Leviathan and Ogopogo."

Both of them turned to Bahamut in fury.

"What!" Ogopogo bellowed.

"Leviathan and Ogopogo are the best creatures there are!" Leviathan blasted.

Bahamut didn't change. "How can you be? You're stuck in that hole."

Leviathan grit his teeth. "I am not!" He shouted vehemently. But then, suddenly, he smiled. But it wasn't a good smile, Bahamut realized. It was dark and mean, and not friendly at all. "Think the water's not that good, huh?" The creature challenged. Abruptly, the liquid shot upward. Much to Bahamut's shock, a ring of the creature's body came out, and then laced itself around Bahamut's own long neck in an instant. Bahamut gasped as the ring tightened, and suddenly had him. Before he could react, the rope yanked back down and ripped Bahamut's head into the liquid.

Bahamut was instantly shocked, for when he tried to breathe he choked. He coughed rapidly, purging the liquid back out of his lungs. However, after being held down for a few moments in the liquid, he realized he wanted to breathe badly. But he couldn't at all in the liquid. He tried to pull back, but Leviathan held him fast. He wouldn't let him up. Bahamut's face turned to fear and shock. He struggled to pull himself out of the liquid, but Leviathan wouldn't let him go. He pulled and pulled, growing furious in his attempt to get free, but he couldn't. Bahamut nearly went crazy trying to get out, throwing a fit under the liquid. But at last, as he began to do so, Leviathan let him loose.

Bahamut quickly pulled his head out of the liquid. Back in something he could breathe, he began to cough and hack, forcing the liquid out of his lungs. As he coughed and wheezed, Leviathan and Ogopogo rolled over in the water and laughed. They pointed their rope tails at Bahamut and giggled their heads off at his misfortune. Bahamut continued to spit, and frowned at the creatures, seeing that they could easily breathe the liquid as well as the air around them. Inside, he felt a little hurt. He couldn't breathe liquid. Did that mean that Leviathan and Ogopogo really were better than Bahamut? The thought didn't bode well, and he began to frown and look slightly downcast. As the two other creatures continued to laugh at him, he sat in silence for a brief moment.

"ACK!"

Immediately, all three creatures, as well as Starlet and Odin, still running, froze and turned their heads to the noise. Bahamut was just in time to see Wyvern now at the top and looking over the edge of the sticks and straw. However, he held on only a moment before crying out in fear and then letting go and falling to the ground rather hard. Yet it wasn't he who had been the one who screamed so loudly. That was the voice of another creature, the like that Bahamut had not yet heard. It came from the pile at the top of the hard stuff. All five creatures looked to see what it was.

Moments later, a small little head came out over the edge of the pile. It was a bunch of bright colors, all red and yellow and orange. However, it was indeed small, and only had a small little hard thing for a nose and mouth. It looked down to Wyvern, who was now sprawled on the ground and looking a bit senseless. After that, it screamed again. However, that was only for a moment. It then looked and saw everything around it that it had not noticed before. It screamed again at that. Then, it turned and looked to the five other creatures, and screamed at all of them too. Bahamut, getting rather annoyed with it all, tried to cover his ears.

"Would you stop that?" He called out.

"Monsters!" The thing cried. "Monsters are all around me! They're trying to eat me!"

"I was not trying to eat you!" Wyvern scowled as he struggled to pick himself back up. "Besides, you're too noisy to eat!"

"Ack! Where am I? How did I get here? What's happened to me?" The creature continued to shriek, looking around in confusion at everything. It grew terribly panicked and frightened, and at last ducked its head back into its mass of straw and sticks once again. The other six creatures blinked at it a moment, and then looked to each other, trying to see if anyone else had any ideas of what that creature had been. But all of them looked just as confused as they did. They didn't know what that creature was, but moreover none of them knew where they were, how they got there, or why they were suddenly awake with the knowledge they had. They were all huddled in one small space, and none of them knew anything at all of what to make of it…

Starlet blinked and looked around. While she did…two much larger hands like hers bent down, grasped the piece of Odin's head, and then took it from her. Starlet gasped and quickly looked to the source. Everyone did as well, and saw it as it looked down on the creature below.

"Now, now…that's not yours, Starlet."

The latest voice was smooth and slow. It was very calming and soothing, and Bahamut knew from the moment he heard it that the owner was kind and gentle. It was so relaxing and pleasant that the creature in the other pile of stuff looked up and blinked at the source. This being looked a bit like Starlet. However, its strings on its head were golden, and the stuff around it was all golden as well. It was also as tall as three Starlets. Furthermore, it had no shiny material on the top of its head. All of the creatures stared at it in confusion, as it turned smiling gently, and slowly bent down to Odin. Even he was frozen and stared silently at her, and barely noticed as she slowly returned the piece of his head to him. Bahamut on his part barely noticed, staring at her as well. She seemed to radiate light, and her impressive size and kind face gathered all of their attention spans. She looked to them all, and smiled softly.

"Hello children. My name is Crusader." She spoke simply. "I am your nanny, and ruler of the realm of Ultima Nexus. Welcome home."

Bahamut and the others didn't know what to say. They stared at this creature, this one called Crusader, with confusion and puzzlement. Bahamut didn't know what those words meant…ruler…nanny…realm…Ultima Nexus…or even home. But all of those words seemed soft and light, pleasant things…not dark or dangerous in the least. That last word especially made Bahamut feel a bit warm inside. He liked to hear it…and the talking of Crusader made him begin to like her as well. Her? Yes…at this point Bahamut believed he could tell the difference between boys and girls, and decided that since Starlet was a her and that Crusader looked so much like her, she had to be a her too. But other than that, he and the others were still confused.

"Home?" Leviathan asked, genuinely puzzled.

Crusader smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes. This is your new home. It's a place where you live. It's a place where your family is. And that's who you all are…family. You are all brothers and sisters."

Ogopogo scratched his own head with his rope body. "Brothers? Sisters?"

"Those are very special people." Crusader gently explained. "You all are the children of the planet. You are each other's brothers and sisters. The boys are brothers, and the girls are sisters. Brothers and sisters are supposed to love and get along with each other. They trust each other. There is no one you depend on more than your brother or sister." With this, Crusader turned and pointed a finger to Bahamut, and a small laugh, merry and light, parted her lips. "Your _name _is Bahamut. You are not a Bahamut, Bahamut. What you are, and what everyone is, is an esper. And none of you are better than anyone else here." With that, she turned to the red creature. "Your name is Wyvern." She turned to Odin next. "You're Odin." Then she turned to the rope things, and pointed to each. "You're name is Ogopogo, and your name is Leviathan. You all are the boys." After this, she turned to the one who looked like her. "You are Starlet." Lastly, she turned to the last pile of sticks and straw. "And you are Phoenix." Seeing herself addressed, the creature recoiled back into the nest. Crusader laughed slightly again, and then began to walk over to the nest. "You are the girls." She explained as she did so. In moments, she was at the nest. She was so tall that she easily looked over the top of it. She smiled into it, and very slowly raised her hands and arms to it.

"Come on, Phoenix. I won't hurt you. None of us will. This is your home." She explained, very soft and soothing to the creature. "You're always safe at home."

Crusader continued to stand for a moment, but at last it seemed as if the creature got into her hands. At that, Crusader gently lifted Phoenix out of the pile. She was an odd creature, her body thin and having huge flaps that looked fuzzy and bright, just like her head. The moment she was out, however, and Crusader indicated that she would put her on the ground, she shrunk back and tried to get closer to Crusader. The woman merely smiled, and held her closer to her own chest and let her rest against her. She then turned her head up to all of them.

"I am your nanny." She gently spoke. "The Planet wants me to take care of you. If you ever hurt, are hungry or thirsty, are angry or sad, come to me. A nanny takes care of those things. You may call me Crusader, or mommy, if you like."

Bahamut blinked. "What's Ultima Nexus…mommy?"

Crusader smiled at Bahamut when he said that, especially when he hesitated on the last part. "That's your home, Bahamut." She gently answered. "All of you…watch closely…"

With that, Crusader removed one hand from Phoenix and extended it. She pointed it at the white powder that surrounded the small piece of land they were on. Curious, all seven espers turned and looked to what she was doing. Crusader hesitated a moment, but then shifted her hand one way. When she did, to the shock of all present, all of the white powder, surrounding everywhere except where there was blue, parted all at once. And the moment they did, light from the sky began to shower down on everything below, and the amazing landscape that was beneath the white powder was at last revealed.

Bahamut gasped in astonishment. The bit of hard stuff that they were standing on was only a small part of a much larger portion extending downward and filling up a large mass of land. What stretched ahead of them for what seemed like close to forever was a huge valley, all filled with that green stuff. But that wasn't all. There was a long ribbon for the blue liquid to go through, and far to the northeast there was a large place for the liquid to collect in. It all seemed to come from another huge pile of hard stuff which the blue liquid ran down. Despite his experience, Bahamut thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Lots of green threads burst up everywhere along the landscape, and they had bright colors on the end of each one of them. Little specks were hovering around them, also brightly colored. Hills and valleys rolled throughout the huge basin, and in some places there were huge piles of hard stuff making larger hills and even cliffs. Some of the hard stuff was smoothed flat, and some hard large circular pieces of hard stuff standing with something over them. Far, far in the distance…almost farther than Bahamut could see, were more huge piles of hard stuff. They were the tallest yet. Beyond them, large masses of the white powder walled up. In fact, all around the huge area they were gathered, the powder surrounded it everywhere. Bahamut was overwhelmed. So was everyone else.

A few of the little specks made their way over to the seven of them. Starlet saw one and recoiled in a bit of fear. Crusader merely smiled and laughed. "Don't be afraid, Starlet. Those are butterflies. They won't hurt you."

"Wow…" Wyvern uttered. "What is all that green stuff out there?"

"That's called grass, Wyvern."

"What about the liquid?" Leviathan asked.

"That is water." Crusader answered, then quickly went on. "I'm sure all of your have many questions, and you'll be wanting to know what everything is. But the most important answer of all, is that all of this is yours. You're free to live here and to whatever you want in Ultima Nexus. This land was made for just us eight.

"However…" Here, Crusader's tone became much firmer and harder. "There is one rule. There is only one way to leave Ultima Nexus. It lies beyond those mountains far in the distance." Here, she pointed to the large pieces of hard stuff far away. "It is a hole in the ground surrounded by clouds. You must never go there…not one of you."

"Why not?" Wyvern asked, curious.

"A dark world lies below Ultima Nexus." Crusader warned. "The things that live there are not good, like the things here. They all are evil and mean. They devour each other and kill each other. They will hurt you…perhaps even kill you…if you children ever go down there. You must never go there, for in that place I cannot protect you. You may never be able to go back."

All seven were rather unnerved by this. Crusader spoke so dark and coldly that one could tell she was not kidding. She didn't have room for a single solitary joke in her voice, and left no room for defiance. Yet Bahamut didn't care. If that place was so terrible, he never wanted to go there. This place was far better. It was pretty and warm and beautiful, and he liked it already. He liked that it was his home, and that he could live here and call it his home. He'd be able to play and explore and find out what other things besides grass and water and mountains were. He was happy here. He was content.

"I won't go there, mommy." Bahamut readily said.

"Me neither." Leviathan added.

"Me too." Phoenix spoke, a bit quivering.

Realizing that they were a bit fearful, Crusader smiled again. "Oh, I know you won't. You don't have to tell me. And don't be so frightened. You're safe here. Now…let's go and enjoy our new place to live."

* * *

That's the first chapter. More is coming tomorrow! 


	2. Truth or Dare

_Seven Years Later_

"Ok, it's your turn now. Let's pick up from where we left off yesterday."

"I don't want to, Wyvern! We always get in trouble!"

"Don't be such a baby!"

"I'm not a baby!"

"Then do it!"

Bahamut frowned and crossed his arms. He hated playing this game that Wyvern always made him play, truth or dare. He always had to give out some embarrassing secret or do something he would never even dream of doing normally, and most of the time Crusader would get word of it eventually and he'd get in trouble. The fact that Wyvern did too was of little consequence or relief. They always got in trouble together. That's because they were always playing with each other.

As near as Bahamut could tell, it had to have been about seven years since he awoke in Ultima Nexus. His memories were foggy in the beginning, when he was still learning what everything was. But they cleared up quickly once Crusader began to teach him exactly what everything was. His vocabulary was built up as well as his knowledge, and he soon knew whatall thingsin Ultima Nexus were called. He also had a better grasp on who other people were, and how to go about on his daily life. Of course, here, there was little workto do for anything.

He enjoyed hanging with Wyvern. That made up most of his days. They were the most like each other, although Wyvern was far more bold and mischevious. Neither of them cared much for their esper brothers or sisters. Phoenix and Starlet always distanced themselves from the boys. As for Odin, he was always off, struggling to lift and swing around his huge sword. He had grown, of course. They all had. Their bodies had become thinner and more developed. But they were all still pretty weak. Odin himself could barely drag his sword, but he cared more about that than everything, and had only gotten colder in front of everyone ever since they had arrived in Ultima Nexus. Leviathan and Ogopogo were always playing with each other, but they didn't hang with anyone else. That left Wyvern or Crusader, and Wyvern almost always won.

Life was simple. In the early days, Crusader had showered love and attention on all of them. All soon grew to prefer the term "mommy" to Crusader. She kept order between them and taught them basic things of how to live. Even in the early days she would leave them from extended periods of time. As they grew older, she did so more frequently. It figured, because they were growing more able to take care of themselves as years went by. However, Bahamut, and the others, feared that meant the worst…that one day Crusader would leave for good. None of them knew what life was like without Crusader, and hated to think of it. Bahamut and the others lived off of nectar from the flowers and honey that the bees made. It was very good tasting and potent. Even a small amount sated any of them, though some were growing much larger than they had originally been. There was never a cloud in the sky, but clouds always surrounding where they lived. Every night was filled with millions of stars, which served as their children mobile as they went to sleep. Bahamut and Wyvern themselves almost always slept on heights. Odin slept in a cave that Crusader carved out for him. Starlet slept in the midst of some stone columns with a stone roof on what everyone believed was the only bed in Ultima Nexus, as Crusader had intended obviously from the start. There was only one tree in Ultima Nexus. Phoenix slept in a nest on the top of it. As for Leviathan and Ogopogo, they slept, and pretty much lived, in the water, the lake, and the river. They only occasionally came on land, though they were quite able too. What this added up to was the espers mostly avoiding each other except for small scraps of action.

Wyvern and Bahamut played mostly together. There had been lots of rumble and tumble games when they were younger. As they grew older, they got into races and wrestling matches. They also started to do more thinking games, like seeing which one could spell a word faster, spy things that the other one indicated, or, Wyvern's favorite, playing truth or dare games to make the other do something embarrassing or reveal a deep, dark secret. Bahamut wasn't nearly so good as Wyvern was, or at least not as inclined to do such dares and truths as the other was.

"Come on!" Wyvern insisted. The two were perched on one of the cliffs in Ultima Nexus. Bahamut was lounging in the shade under it, while Wyvern dangled the top of his body off of it and taunted Bahamut. "You got to give me another one. Or are you afraid too? Don't you want to get even?"

Bahamut frowned as he looked up at Wyvern's grinning, dangerous face. In truth, he did want to get even. Yesterday, the last thing he had to do was fly off of the top of the cliff that Wyvern was on right now. Neither of them could fly yet. They could only glide, not yet having enough strength to beat their wings strong enough. However, Crusader assured them that they'd be able to soon enough. At any rate, he had a nasty, painful spill, and he had been eager to want to get revenge on Wyvern. But he couldn't think of anything to dare him, not anything that would hold a candle to Wyvern's own challenges. He still couldn't think of anything now.

Wyvern grinned wider. "Are you scared?"

Bahamut scowled. "No!"

"Then do it!"

"Fine!" He shot back. After that, he went silent, unable to think of anything still. He tried to see what kind of secret he could expose about Wyvern, or if there was anything dangerous he could make him do. But nothing came to mind. He frowned and tried to think harder, but still nothing came. Wyvern kept grinning.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking!"

"Hurry up."

Bahamut frowned. He had to focus. He knew Wyvern well enough to know what he hated! What would be the worst thing that Wyvern would do? What would be something that he would never bring himself to do in a million years? What did he constantly brood about whenever they were talking about themselves to each other? Bahamut struggled to think of it…something he hated…but what? Then, all of the sudden…it hit him. He knew exactly what. Abruptly, Bahamut burst into his own grin. He looked up to Wyvern's own smiling face, and spoke slowly and calmly.

"I dare you to kiss Phoenix on the beak."

Wyvern's smile instantly vanished, and his red color went a shade white. He began to quiver, and was suddenly wracked with fear. "Uh…um…er…" He stuttered, growing nervous. "Uh…you know…this game is kind of stupid. Let's just forget…"

"No." Bahamut stated with a smile. "You have to do the dare, or I win."

Wyvern's brow creased and he swallowed. "Aw man…I don't want to kiss a girl! Give me a break, Bahamut!"

Bahamut smiled and shook his head. "No way. Do it."

Wyvern swallowed again, and continued to turn white. However, even as his face turned uncomfortable, he managed to slowly pull himself back up the cliff…

* * *

"I'm going to be a queen someday." Starlet spoke as she added another flower to her crown.

Phoenix looked up to her as she pulled the stem on another flower in her own crown. Both of them were sitting in the flower fields of Ultima Nexus, busying themselves with making flower chains. She turned her head in a bit of anxiety to Starlet. "What about me?"

"You'll be a queen too." Starlet answered with a smile. "We'll both be queens. We'll rule over all the boys, and we'll make them make mud pies and eat them all day long." This last part was accented with a small grin.

Phoenix chuckled a bit too. "Yeah! I wonder how come we have to have so many boys, and we're only two girls."

"Crusader's a girl." Starlet answered simply. "That means we'll be their bosses some day.Mommy told me. One day I'll be just as tall as her."

Phoenix looked slightly confused. "Really? Will you have those things coming out of your chest too?"

Starlet plucked another flower, but then suddenly froze. Her face went to puzzlement, and she lookd up and thought a moment. However, nothing came to her, and in the end she merely shrugged. "I didn't really ask her, so I don't know."

"Hmm…" Phoenix mused.

Suddenly, the firebird esper felt a tap on her shoulder. Noticing it, and wondering what it was, or possibly just reacting out of confusion, Phoenix turned her head behind her to see what it was. No sooner had she done so, however, than she felt the powerful scaly red beak of Wyvern plant itself on Phoenix's beak and give a powerful smooth.

Starlet looked up and saw this, and immediately recoiled in shock. She wasn't alone. Phoenix did as well. She was far more violent about it though, nearly smashing Wyvern back out of the way as she scrambled back, and spitting out as she did so. Her face was shocked, and all of her feathers were bristled with rage. As she continued to scramble back, her eyes filled with anger and she screamed out at the esper before her, who was already recoiling with a scared look on his face.

"Ew! YOU PERVERT! Get away from me! Ew! Ew! Ew! I have cooties! _Grrr…!"_

Wyvern didn't need another moments warning. He turned and he bolted off as far and as fast as he could, before Phoenix truly did ignite into a firebird.

* * *

Bahamut laughed hard until he cried.

Wyvern frowned as he moped on the cliff he had been on before. A sullen look was on his face. Bahamut rarely got him, so he wasn't nearly as used to it. But he was still a bit redder than usual with embarassment. He scratched at the ground miserably and glared at Bahamut below. His blue brother continued to laugh hard, rolling on the ground below. "Aw man!" He called out. "You actually did it!"

"Yeah." Wyvern scowled. "You're lucky I'm not poisoned by girl germs."

Bahamut only laughed harder. "Man…you looked like you were enjoying it! I didn't know you'd kiss her that hard! I think you _liked _it!"

Wyvern growled under his breath and bowed his blushing face even more than before. Bahamut kept cackling the whole time, still rolling on the ground. It was minutes before he was finally able to stop. As he did, Wyvern lay brooding the entire time. Bahamut had got him, and got him good. That infuriated him. He was used to always being on top with these games. As Bahamut continued to laugh, he brooded and stewed over what had happened, trying to think of an equivalent dare. Something even better than that… He thought of double daring Bahamut, but that would only make him a copycat. He had to think of something better…something great… Wyvern knew very well that Bahamut liked to obey the rules. He always did what Crusader told him to do without fail. That's why Wyvern liked to make him misbehave with his dares. But just a regular one wouldn't do this time. None of that would compare to what Bahamut had made him do. He needed something really good this time. Something that would really hit home. Something that would leave a lasting impression. He struggled hard to think of something as he gazed around, looking for material. There had to be something good around that he could use…

Then…he spotted them.

The mountains far to the south of Ultima Nexus…

…and smiled.

* * *

All amusement on Bahamut's face had left him, and had been transposed onto Wyvern. Now, only a look of dread and terror remained.

"B-B-But…Wyvern…"

"That's my dare."

"I…I can't…"

"Because you're a wimp. So just give up now."

Bahamut frowned for a moment. "I am not!" He insisted. However…he quickly went fearful again. "But…butmommy said we should never go there… It's the way to the evil world…"

"I didn't say you had to live down there." Wyvern defended. "Just go down there and back really quick."

Bahamut was still worried. "But…but she said we might never come back! I don't know about this Wyvern… I mean…other dares were bad…but this? Can't you do anything else?"

Wyvern merely grinned. "Revenge time, Bahamut. You have to do this. Do it or you lose, and I get to call you wimp for a week."

Bahamut swallowed. He was scared of that place. He could feel the evil coming from it, some nights. Most people didn't know that…but he did. He didn't spend all his time just playing with Wyvern. He spent a lot of it concentrating, doing what Crusader called meditation. And when he did, he began to learn things about himself he didn't know before. This was part of it. Sometimes…he could feel the evil coming from that place. It threatened all the good in Ultima Nexus. It scared him…

But then again…he didn't want to lose to Wyvern. Crusader wasn't here right now. She wouldn't be watching him. He could get up there easily enough. He was big enough now, and the mountains were more of a barrier than any serious hindrance. He could scale them. It wouldn't take long. Just in there, over to the hole, and back again… Then he could do anything to Wyvern. Heck, he could make him go down the hole too. He knew he'd win. Wyvern wasn't brave enough to do it himself. But Bahamut knew he was brave enough, at least he told himself that. Just one little hike, then he'd be back on top again. Soon…very soon… And it would just be a quick jump. Nothing serious. He'd close his eyes if he needed too.

Finally, Bahamut swallowed. Summoning all of his courage, he nodded. "Alright…I'll do it."

* * *

Wyvern followed Bahamut all the way to the top of one side of the mountains. They weren't too high, nothing above a half hour hike. They were rocky, but Wyvern and Bahamut were both able enough to get around. When they got older, they knew they'd be able to fly to the top and back in no time flat. Until then, their wings helped them to glide to easier footing as they slowly made their way up. Bahamut knew very well that once he got to the other side he could glide down in a flash. But Bahamut had never seen the other side before. None of them had… The thought terrified the young esper. What was on the other side? What did the hole bordered by wind look like anyway? And what if…what if things were coming out of it?

As both of them neared the top, however, they both grew nervous. The air was cooler up here…and eventually grew colder. The clouds, white and puffy from a distance, began to turn gray and dark. The sun was blotted out, and darkness swamped over the entire ascent. Both Wyvern and Bahamut grew nervous at this. Both espers visibly shuddered as they continued to climb. Both of them were getting cold feet. But Wyvern vowed to get even with Bahamut, and this was the perfect way. Secretly, however, he began to wish his brother would chicken out, for both of their sakes. The idea was seeming worse and worse as it grew darker and cooler on their ascent. Wind began to blow after a short while, and that made Wyvern nervous as well. As it grew stronger, both grew scared. But neither of them backed down, and they continued to climb.

At last, they reached the top. Neither of them would look over the edge right away. Instead, they looked to each other and both swallowed. Both of them looked terror-stricken now. They shuddered and went silent for the moment. But at last, Wyvern nodded, and gestured. "Alright." He spoke, trying to sound brave. "G-g-go do it."

Bahamut swallowed. "Alright." He replied, also trying to sound brave. "But…you've got to stay here until I get back."

Wyvern instantly shook his head. "Uh-uh. No way. It's your dare."

"But how will you know I did it?"

Wyvern stopped at that. Bahamut was right. Like it or not, he did have to wait for him. Wyvern was more scared than ever now, realizing he had trapped himself. Finally, he sighed, and shook his head. "Ok, ok…But hurry up!"

"No problem there." Bahamut answered quickly. With that, he said no more. He turned to the other side of the mountain. Once he did so, he gulped again, and struggled to keep his heart from beating so fast. He felt cold all over. But at last, he managed to extend his wings. After doing so, he closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and then ran blindly right for the other side of the mountain. He ran until he reached the edge. Then, he quickly squatted and leapt. In an instant, he was in the sky, the wind caught his wings, and he began to soar downward.

Bahamut thought to open his eyes for his descent. However, the air was cold that hit him. The wind intensified, and began to howl. Bahamut swore he could hear monsters on the breeze, or other evil things that would love to eat little espers. He didn't dare open them, but closed them tighter. Down, down, he drifted, feeling himself slowly glide down the edge of the mountain. It seemed like an eternity as he kept his eyes closed. The mountain continued to go on and on as he drifted down it, and it felt like he wasn't landing at the same place on the other side. He felt like he was continuing to fall, farther and deeper. To his horror, he thought he had already slipped into the hole, and was now falling down it to that deep dark world that was below…that world full of evil…that world full of things that wanted to eat him and destroy him. Bahamut felt himself, despite his best intentions, start to cry tears of fear as he continued to fall… He wondered if he'd ever see anyone in his family again… Wyvern again… Crusader again…

He was so shocked when his feet finally hit rock bottom that he screamed. He was even more scared when he heard his voice echo all around him, bouncing back to him. At last, unable to take it anymore, Bahamut opened his eyes to face whatever was around him. He was definitely on the other side of the mountain now. Rather, he was in what appeared to be a hole made by mountains. They rose, deep, dark, sinister, spiked, on every side. All of them were menacing, all of them were tremendous, all of them were black… The sky had turned so gray that it was practically black now. Bahamut had never seen anything so scary in his lifetime. But what was the most scary thing of all was in the center of this hole…

There was the hole that Crusader had mentioned. It was massive crater in the ground, blackness all around it and the world fractured around it. But not only that…a tornado arose from the center of it. It stretched high, almost halfway up the mountains, and looked like a giant funnel sucking everything into that hole that it could grab. Bahamut was far enough away to be safe, but he still stared in terror. His heart pounded. His spine ran cold as he stared at the massive structure easily extending far larger than him. All bravery faded. He couldn't go in that. He'd never get out again! Nothing could! His mind was stretched with panic. It felt so cold…so dark…so evil here… He was terrified…

Suddenly, a form jumped in front of him. Bahamut cried out in fear and backed up, looking up in terror to what it was. To his surprise, it was Crusader. She stood at her full height, dressed all in gold. She alone hadn't changed among all of them. However…she was changed now. Her kind features were gone. Her face was filled with cross anger. Her eyes blazed at Bahamut, and her lip was curled into a frown.

"What are you doing here?" She barked harshly at the esper. Bahamut recoiled more when she said this, filled with more fear than ever. "I told you never to come here! I warned you!" She continued, shouting loudly and darkly to him. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? _Do you?"_

That was too much for Bahamut. Already he was scared out of his mind, but now the person he looked to as his care, companion, caretaker, and everything else was yelling at him as well. She had never yelled at him before, even when disciplining him. He couldn't take it anymore. He opened his large dragon mouth and cried out loud. Large tears poured from his eyes, and he totally broke down in front of Crusader. Unable to contain anything, he cried and cried endlessly in front of his guardian.

Crusader's anger melted away instantly, and a look of hesitation graced her face as she realized how rough she had been with the young esper. Immediately, she became more gentle and soft again, and quickly kneeled down in front of Bahamut. She scooped him up in his arms and hugged him warmly. "Oh…it's alright…" She soothed. "Shh…I'm sorry… I'm sorry I yelled at you… I should've known you'd come here sooner or later… Shh…it's ok, Bahamut."

Bahamut continued to sniffle. Between tears, he called out in pain. "I…I…I didn't want to, mommy. I really didn't. But we were playing truth or dare…and Wyvern dared me…and he said I'd be a wimp if I didn't… I'm not a wimp, mommy!"

"Shh…I know. You're not a wimp."

"I know this place is bad…"

"It is, Bahamut. It's very bad. I told you to stay away for your own good." Crusader grew a bit firmer here. "This place is very dangerous. It's a danger to all of you. That's why none of you can ever come here, and you can never come here again. I'm glad that I stopped you, especially if you were about to go down that hole. I'm serious, Bahamut…you may never return. It's a very evil place…and it's a danger to you all."

Bahamut continued to sniffle, but began to relax. He rubbed at his red eyes, and looked up to Crusader. She looked back down to him. "What's down there…mommy?"

Crusader had a firm look on her face, and stayed silent for a moment. But then…she drew in a deep breath, and exhaled. "The human."

Bahamut blinked. "What's that?"

"A dark creature, Bahamut. They have great evil in their hearts and minds. They're always plotting evil. They're always carrying it out. They destroy the very world they live on. They pervert it for their own desires. They don't eat like you and me. Instead, they kill other living things and eat them."

Bahamut's eyes widened in fear.

"But that's only a sample of the atrocities they commit. You must never go down there, Bahamut. Never. No matter what. And I also tell you this. You are not to play that game anymore that led you to do this. Any game that puts your lives in danger is not a game to play, understood?"

The young esper hesitated, but then nodded. He paused a moment, but then bowed his head. "I'm sorry, mommy. I won't do it again."

Crusader smiled warmly at him. "I know you won't. Now come on…let's get you out of here."

* * *

Bahamut brooded over the days events late into the night as he stared at the star-filled sky. Wyvern slept uncomfortably nearby, his rear end a bit redder than the rest of him that night. That was the last day he and Wyvern ever played truth or dare. However…it was still a period of great commencement. The end of one thing, the start of something new.

That day, Bahamut lost a part of his childhood. He lost any silliness, casualness, or horseplaying, and began to think about more serious matters. From that day on, there was hardly a day he didn't think about the hole. Despite what he had promised, despite the fear inside him, he couldn't help but think about it. He couldn't help but think about those things called humans. He couldn't help but think of the dark world when he meditated. He couldn't help but see humans trying to eat him when he slept. And all the time…he began to think more and more about himself and where he was…where all of them were. While he never thought of it clearly in those days, and still wouldn't for years upon years to come…in the back of his mind he began to wonder what his purpose was. More than anything, though he didn't know it, that thought was primary in every last consideration that entered his mind from then on. Through it all…what was his purpose? Here…among his friends and family…in Ultima Nexus…and even in that world of evil, to which they had the gate placed before them but the command never to pass it?

Bahamut didn't know…but the answers to those questions…and all the questions that came from them…would be dominating his thoughts for some time to come.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Vacation

_Seven Years Later_

Bahamut smiled as he felt the rush of wind whip by his face. It was wonderful…a joy that only he, Wyvern, and Phoenix could partake of. But he didn't care. He liked it. The sky was his domain now, and he soared through the blue sky and gazed down with a broad smile at the world below. It was a time for joy and peace, where he was one with the air and free as the butterflies and bees below.

Bahamut was fourteen…at least, by his own calculations. He had declared his official birthday to be when he entered Ultima Nexus. It had been fourteen years since then. He had grown incredibly since he was seven, shooting up in leaps and bounds. When he was "born", he was a mere three feet long. Now he was easily fifteen including his tail, and up on his rear legs he could stand twelve feet tall. He had mastered the ability to fly at last in his tenth year, and now was an expert at it. His strength had increased as well, and he was very powerful indeed. He could break rocks with one pounce if he tried. Wrestling matches, typically, had gotten much more violent. Both he and Wyvern could kick up quite a bit of chaos when they got started, especially if they took their fights to the sky. His brother was even bigger than he was, and both of them were astonishingly impressive sights to behold. Yet, of course, they were not the only ones who had changed.

Odin was finally big enough to lift his own sword. While he was still rather weak with it, and had to hold it with both hands at all times, he was getting progressively stronger all the time now. His hard work was definitely paying off. Of course, why he was doing it was beyond him. Crusader was the only one who knew, her and Odin, and neither of them were saying anything. Odin didn't call it a sword anymore. He called it "Zantetsuken"…whatever that meant.

Leviathan and Ogopogo had both progressed into serpentine monsters. Both of them were huge and easily accomodated their space in their lake. They spent a bit more time on land now that they were more mature, but they were both generally quiet. Ogopogo seemed to mimic everything his brother did, and the other talked little.

Phoenix had matured into a brilliant specimen of esper. She was as glorious and radiant as the sun every time she soared out in the sky. She was dazzling to behold and caught the eye of everyone…but especially the young men. They began to feel an attraction to her…an attraction that they had never experienced before. Bahamut himself knew he felt it slightly, but not nearly so strong as all the others. Even Odin couldn't mask his as best as Bahamut, turning red occasionally when he saw himself staring at Phoenix for too long.

Then there was Starlet. Seeing her today, one could hardly guess she used to be the tomboy of her youth. She constantly was trying to flirt with the boys, especially since she had turned fourteen. When she had been a bit younger, the tables had turned and she had started scaring off boys with kisses. She kept doing so now, but always a bit extra friendly to all the guys. In many ways, she looked to take after Crusader, however. She wanted to be as caring as she was, as considerate and compassionate. She was also the only one who really had everyone's ear. As both sexes matured, boys and girls alike were more open to Starlet, and she really wasn't anyone's enemy or rival.

The only one who hadn't changed was Crusader. She remained the same height and appearance all the time. She left more frequently, and each time for longer periods, but when around she was still as friendly as ever. More mature now, Bahamut called her "mother" instead of "mommy", though Starlet had grown informal enough to call her Crusader almost all the time. That seemed only appropriate. She spent a lot of time with her whenever she could, trying to follow in her footsteps. Inside, Bahamut feared the day was coming when she would be gone and Starlet would take her place. But for now, she was here. They were all here. And they were all happy, as always.

Bahamut flapped his wings a few times and continued to fly. He loved flying. There was nothing like it in all of Ultima Nexus. He felt like he could go up forever and kiss the sky. But for now, he was content with just dwarfing all of the world below. He continued to soar, lazily looking about for a few moments. He still brooded now a days. And he meditated a lot too. Always, he felt the distinctive evil from the hole. But he also was able to sense the others simply by how much power they had. To no surprise, Crusader'sown powermade them all still look like infants. But it was handy for everyone else, if he wanted to find out where they were. It took a bit of effort, but it was worth it.

That wasn't all, however. Bahamut realized with great enthusiasm that his years of sharpening his mind were taking him to the next level. He might not have been Crusader, but like her he felt himself growing emphatic. He could sense emotions…feelings…sometimes even states of mind from the others. No matter how hard they tried to mask it on the outside, he could always sense true emotions. That was a shocking development for him. But even better, he knew…he was reaching the point where he could be even more sharply defined. He was gaining the ability to read minds. Soon, he knew he'd be able to read the distinctive thoughts of the people he knew. That exercise, something he didn't even tell Crusader about, fueled all of his passions now.

Suddenly, Bahamut snapped out of his thoughts. His mental ability that he was working on so hard was coming now. Automatically, he was beginning to get sensations from it. While he was always pleased with that, he realized that whenever it registered automatically that usually meant danger was coming. He struggled to concentrate on it for a moment as he flew. He began to pick up things instantly.

_Merryment… Mischief… Grinning…_

_…GOT YOU!_

A clear thought entered Bahamut's head, and he reacted. But it was too late. Abruptly, another form tackled him with all of its power from a dive bomb. Bahamut cried out in surprise as he felt himself thrown to the earth along with the form that crashed into him. His wings crumpled, and he was in a practical free fall for a few brief moments. He looked out in terror and screamed out into the sky as he went down for a few fateful moments. But then, at last, the ground came, and with a huge collision, both bodies smashed into the ground…but Bahamut first, breaking the fall of the one who attacked him.

Bahamut groaned after landing. That blow was hardly more than enough to stun him, but he shook his head and looked to the source anyway. Immediately, he saw a red, slightly larger, version of him disengage itself from his body, extend over him in a pinning position, and grin down on his own blue body. It took only a moment to know who it was. In reality…Bahamut had known the moment he had been tackled in mid-air and heard that signature mischief mental tone.

"You're still too sloppy, Big B." Wyvern chided playfully. "I thought you were working on sharpening your mind? I spread you like honey on a comb and you never saw it coming."

Bahamut frowned a bit, but not from much anger. "Congratulations. You've proven me still inadequate. Now how about letting me up?"

Wyvern complied, hopping a bit off his brother, then flapping his wings to carry him a short distance away before landing. He shook the ground when he did so. Bahamut rolled over onto his own belly and rose to all fours, flapping his wings and shaking himself off. Once he was right, he turned to Wyvern. He noticed that his brother was still grinning, and hopping up and down slightly on his four legs. Bahamut didn't like the look of that.

"Oh no…you've got that malicious look in your eyes again." Bahamut spoke with a grumble.

"Perhaps." Wyvern replied with a grin.

Bahamut rolled his eyes. "Does this have to do with anymore surprise attacks once I turn my back on you?"

"Nope." Wyvern merrily replied, shaking his head enthusiastically.

Bahamut frowned. "Ok, Wyvern. Enough of the guessing games. What's up?"

Wyvern frowned in reply. "Poo. I though I'd get you to try and read my mind again. You're no fun. But nevermind that for now. Say…do you know what I just heard?"

"No."

"Crusader's leaving again for another few days. This time she said a whole three days."

"Yeah, so?"

"So we're all by ourselves for three whole days."

"I reiterate…so?"

Wyvern grinned and stopped bouncing. "We're free to do some stuff now that she's gone, right?"

Bahamut hesitated a moment. This couldn't be good. Wyvern had mischief on his mind once again, never a good sign no matter what. But nevertheless, he was better off knowing than not knowing. "Like what kind of stuff?"

Wyvern turned his head in mock innocence and scratched his chin. "I was thinking like…over the hills…and the river…" He hesitated, then grinned a bit more. "And the mountains…need I go on?"

Bahamut froze, and stared at him for a moment. Old childhood fears flared up in him again. In retrospect, he had tried to look back at that moment seven years ago with bravery. But each time he failed. He still had nightmares about that day, even though he fantasized constantly about what would have happened if he had gone down the hole…

"…And down the hole?" He asked tentatively.

Wyvern grinned wider. "Maybe you can read minds after all, brother of mine."

Bahamut hesitated a moment, his eyes growing a bit wary and his heart pounding a little. And yet…all his brooding…all of his fantasizing he had done ever since that day…began to grow in him. Still, in the end he shook his head. "No."

Wyvern leaned in closer. "The others don't care about us. They never look for us. Odin's off practicing as always for who knows what… Phoenix is taking a noon-day nap… Starlet's off trying to impress Ogopogo and Leviathan… All by ourselves, Big B…"

"No."

"Aw…come on."

"No, Wyvern."

"Come on…pretty please…don't make me get my big shimmering eye routine out."

"No, Wyvern!" Bahamut suddenly snapped, his tone raising. Wyvern actually recoiled in a bit of shock at that. "Don't you remember what happened the last time we went down there?"

Wyvern rolled his eyes and sighed. "We were seven, Bahamut…"

"And we're fourteen now. So?"

"So? So we're bigger, stronger, and we can fly."

"What difference does that make? You heard what Crusader said. That place is evil, and it's full of things that…that want to eat us and kill us."

Wyvern sighed. "Man, Bahamut…you sound just like her. That might work on a kid, but we're teenagers now. We can't be scared of little ghost stories like that all our lives."

"We don't know what's down there!" Bahamut insisted.

"I know we don't!" Wyvern instantly responded. "That's why I want to go down there! Come on, Bahamut… This place is nice…but it's kinda boring. We've lived here our whole lives and have never been anywhere else. There has got to be more than this. I wouldn't mind just seeing something new…like what one of these humans looks like."

"No." Bahamut coldly stated.

Wyvern merely frowned and crossed his claws in front of him. "Don't deny it, Bahamut. I know you far too well. I know you better than Crusader, in some ways. All you ever do is think about what's down there. You're always dreaming about it. Until you were eight you did nothing but tell me about the dreams you had at night about what's down there. You want to see it too."

"Most of those dreams were nightmares."

Wyvern shrugged. "What better way to dispel some fears than to face them?"

Bahamut groaned. He turned his back on his brother, refusing to listen to another word. Yet he had spoken the truth. Bahamut had wanted to see what was down there…and deep down inside he wanted to even more than Wyvern. Only his desire to obey Crusader and not do anything foolish prevented him. He didn't say anymore to Wyvern, but kept his back to him.

Wyvern rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Bahamut…I can't go alone. You know I can't." He hesitated, and then growled. "Alright. If you want me to say it, then fine. I'm a coward. Ok? Satisfied? I've also never done anything without you before. And I don't want to start right now. I _will _go alone if I have to, but I want you to come with me. I want you to because I trust you more than anyone, and I know that you want this more than I do."

Bahamut kept his back turned.

Wyvern groaned again. "Look… If there's any trouble, we'll fly away. Simple as that. We can overcome that old twister you talked about. It's not a problem. If we see even the single slightest thing out of a nightmare…if the tiniest thing goes wrong…boom, we're gone. But come on, Bahamut…let's do a real adventure for once."

The blue esper kept his back turned for a while. In his mind…all of the old questions came back to light. What was down there? What were the humans really like? What kind of evil did they perform…and what other types of creatures were there that they ate? It might have been a terrible fantasy…but it was a fantasy. And despite his better convictions, the mystery and question drove Bahamut onward. Wyvern was right…this was a chance. And a good one. Despite everything he thought, Bahamut knew inside that he always was waiting for a chance. And until now, he always had the idea that one would be waiting for him some day…if only he would wait. But what if a chance never came again? What if something happened…one in a million things…and he never had the opportunity again? He'd never forgive himself. In the end…he did have to know what was down there…what was so terrible that he had never gone to see it yet…that Crusader warned so much about…

He had to know.

At long last, after an eternity pause…Bahamut slowly began to turn his head back to his brother, who quickly began to smile.

* * *

"You're never going to regret this, Big B."

"Remember what you said. One thing. Then we're out of here."

"Sure, sure… Oh man… I've never even seen the hole before!"

"…You'll see it soon enough… It's not the best looking thing in the world…"

Bahamut and Wyvern were in the sky again. This time, they flew side by side, and were making straight for the mountain range at the back of Ultima Nexus. The sky already began to grow dark as the clouds grew. The air was turning cold as they continued. Wyvern kept a lookout below constantly to see if anyone was watching them who'd rat on them later. Bahamut, on his part, swallowed and tried to keep from being too fearful as he flapped onward, toward the mountain range. They were still black and dark…and despite how old and strong he had become he was scared. He hadn't been to this place in so long… He prayed that he could still be strong enough to continue.

The two espers closed in on the mountains, and began to slowly fly over them. Wyvern, grinning at seeing no one watch them, turned fully ahead. Bahamut breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled. The wind began to pick up, stirring their thermals and slightly disrupting their flight patterns. But they were both expert flyers now, and compensated quickly. It grew colder, especially with their flying against the wind. Both Wyvern and Bahamut shuddered. Ultima Nexus was not cold in the least. They were unused to such strong feelings. But still, they pressed on, going up, up, and over the mountain range. It continued to grow darker and windier, accenting the looming danger. Inside, Bahamut was glad he could exert such great mental imaging. It would come in handy if they ran into trouble down there. But now…he only wished he could keep himself from sensing the growing evil…

The two flying espers finally crossed the mountains. The sky turned almost completely black, and the air was sharp and cold. Both Wyvern and Bahamut squinted and looked ahead. Just ahead, spiraling in the darkness of this area, surrounded by great black mountains, was the hole…the portal into the dark world below. The tornado still blew over it, cycloning down into its depths. Below, the cyclone became made of clouds, and extended down in a great tunnel into the darkness and eventually oblivion underneath. This was it. This was their exit. This was their gateway into the next world. To Bahamut…it was just as menacing and dark as before. Nothing from it had changed. But he had changed. He was stronger now…able to restrain his fear…able to stare into the abyss…and muster the courage to enter it.

Both he and Wyvern looked to each other as they soared toward it. This was their last chance to break. This was the big one. Both would be embarking on something that had never dared in their entire lives. They were actually going to leave their home…and descend into the world they were always forbidden from entering. They were no longer boys, but men now. They had their last chance to break off, and neither of them took it. They both nodded to each other once. Then, both espers turned their full attention to the hole, the portal, and the vortex over it. Both beasts swept into the air, spiraled around, and dropped themselves into a nose dive as they rounded the tremendous cyclone. Tucking their wings in for a dive, both Wyvern and Bahamut entered the cyclone and descended into the hole as one, until their world became a swirl of white clouds…and then oblivion.

* * *

Bahamut didn't know how long they fell. To him…no matter how much time passed later…no matter how much he looked back…he thought he had spent no less than a thousand years there. A thousand years of endlessly falling into blackness. A thousand years of cold wind whipping against his face. A thousand years of falling down, down, down into the nothingness…wondering if there was anything awaiting them on the other side at all…or just this darkness forever and ever and ever… Every dream and fantasy seemed to come to life in that darkness, if only for a moment, before vanishing again… That moment seemed to be the longest in his life so far, and even far outstripped the length of his life. He felt he had never truly lived until that time…and then had spent an eternity there in the blackness…

But however long it took…it did end eventually. While hurling downward through the void, a dim light finally came in a small dot. It started off minor, but as he continued to shoot down it grew larger and larger. It stayed dim, but Bahamut began to detect the color of it. It was blue…but a much dimmer blue than in Ultima Nexus. Bahamut swallowed. This had to be it. This had to be the world of darkness…the unknown land…the land of terrors and fears and where the evil humans resided. He was nearly there…just needing to fall a bit longer… The blue circle grew…and grew…and grew…until, at long last, Bahamut shot out of it.

Instantly, Bahamut found himself back in reality…or at least a version off it. A tremendous open space…miles and miles into the sky, extended all around him, and he was in a free fall down it. Bahamut looked around in amazement and wonder, but for the time being he was so thrilled all he could see was the empty space. But it was huge! Larger than all the space had ever been in Ultima Nexus…stretching for miles forever in all directions… There were no borders here…no borders anywhere… Just space…space stretching out everywhere and in all places. Bahamut couldn't tell how he would ever get anywhere…so much space between him and everything. Wyvern, close to his side, marveled at the same thing…and for a while they could do nothing more than marvel…

But as Bahamut continued to fall, his bearings came back to him. A realization came to him. He wasn't falling into the sky at all. The huge blue space beneath him, extending out in all directions…it was water! An infinite stretch of water, more immense than even the lake had seemed in Ultima Nexus! And he was headed right for it! Bahamut realized his mistake and about the same time Wyvern did. When he did, or rather they both did, they halted immediately, and unfurled their wings to catch themselves. They both caught an updraft, and quickly spiraled back around and shot back into the sky. Once they were high enough, they gently began to flap their wings to maintain altitude, and both of them looked to each other in bewilderment. Already…they had seen things they had never believed or fathomed in their entire lives.

Bahamut took a moment to look around. Indeed, this place was pretty dark. The sky was filled with clouds, all seeming to be eminating from one tiny dot. Bahamut recognized that. That was where they came in. Good thing, in his opinion, for now they could find their way back out again. It was very windy here…a big change as their home was never windy. It was never cold either, and already Bahamut began to feel a little too cool for comfort. Wyvern didn't look much better. In the end, Bahamut looked back to Wyvern. The latter grinned.

"We made it!" He called cheerily. "We're really in the other world!"

"Yeah…" Bahamut mused, looking around at the area. "And that's the largest lake I've ever seen in my life. Where's the shore?"

Wyvern shrugged. "Beats me. We'll just have to look for it."

Bahamut exhaled a little, and looked around again. "Man…you can't even see the sun down here."

Wyvern shrugged again. "Well, it is supposed to be a dark world, after all. Nothing else to see around here. Let's go see what else is here, especially if there are any humans."

With that, Wyvern turned and immediately began to fly off. Bahamut hesitated for a moment, looking back up to the spot in the sky. It was a long way away…but nothing that he couldn't get back through. Afterward, he looked back down to the dark world again. Wyvern was already making headway from him. He hesitated for a moment longer, but then exhaled and began to fly after him.

* * *

The wonders didn't cease. Bahamut and Wyvern were soon astonished by more. It took some time for them to reach any type of shore. They flew for almost an hour before they began to see it on the horizon. Much to their surprise, the shore was just as large as the lake, extending infinitely in either direction. It was real jagged too, and rather than banks, there was a lot of coarse stuff along the shoreline. Bahamut and Wyvern landed for a moment to feel it, only to have it get stuck between their toes. Not only that, but there were also large rocks jutting out of the water too, unlike either of them had ever seen. Both of them were puzzled by this, but when they flew again, nothing could surprise them more than what they saw next.

There was no mere grass in this world. Rather, every plant seemed to grow at a certain distance from other plants, and it alone would grow huge around, branch out into many different stems, and then shoot high into the sky. Bahamut and Wyvern had never seen such large plants before in their lives. Their entire lives they had been bigger than all plants, but now the plants were bigger than them! And as they moved further away from the shore, they began to notice that there were lots of bits of white powder on the ground here and there. Once again, they landed to investigate. They picked it up with their hand this time, only to discover that it was so cold it burned to the touch. They quickly dropped it again and cursed at it…only to discover that their own breath had become visible. Bahamut was scared, thinking that it might have been their life forces coming out of them. Wyvern told him to stop being a baby…but nevertheless tried to breathe less as they both took off and began to fly through the sky once again. The large plants covered the ground for miles in every direction, and neither of them saw anything new for a long time.

"Wow!" Bahamut abruptly announced eventually. "Look!"

Wyvern looked as well, and was amazed. Bahamut had spotted something in the sky. It was gliding around slowly, looking down at the ground. It appeared to have a body like Phoenix's, only it was much slower and had less extra beautiful feathers. It was a more dull brown color than fire, and it was so small that it was barely the size of Wyvern's and Bahamut's heads. It kept most of its attention centered on the ground. However, as the two espers drew closer, it let out a squeal of some kind, and then turned and began to flap away as fast as it could. Bahamut and Wyvern were stunned, but turned to each other in amazement.

"Wow!" Wyvern exclaimed. "Did you see that?"

"Was that a human?" Bahamut asked in puzzlement. "Or was that an esper like us?"

"I dunno. Could you feel evil from it?"

"No. But no good either. It was only thinking about finding some little brown thing and eating it."

"Maybe it was a human then. They eat other living things."

"Maybe…"

Nevertheless, the wonders that the two were seeing drove them onward. Bahamut's stomach began to grumble after a while, and he started to notice that Wyvern was getting hungry too. In their haste, they had forgotten to bring any food. But they didn't want to turn back now. They were just getting started.

A bit ahead, there was finally a river more accustomed to the espers' tastes. But it didn't look like just a regular river either. It was smaller, and had a lot of rocks in it. Bahamut and Wyvern went down and tasted the water, but found it was ice cold as well and spat it out. As they did so, Wyvern caught a small brown thing in his eye, and turned to it. It was standing up on its legs, gazing at them. Bahamut turned to it as well.

"Hey…is that a human? Or is that what humans eat?"

"I think it's what they eat." Bahamut answered. He turned over to the tiny thing, that would easily fit in his own mouth. "Hey! Come over here, human food!"

However, the moment that the huge beast began to bellow at the small little animal, the thing nearly had a heart attack, and turned and bolted away faster than it knew it could run. Bahamut blinked in confusion, and turned back to Wyvern with a shrug. "They both seem to like to run from us."

"I guess they like to run races." Wyvern answered. "Next time we see something, let's chase it down and catch it, then talk to it."

Bahamut frowned a bit, and rubbed his stomach. "I hope we find something soon. Any longer and I'm going to starve trying to catch it…"

The two took to the sky once more, and were soon flapping over all of the large plants. Both Bahamut and Wyvern continued to get more hungry, but were also determined to find either a human or its food. They scanned the sky for any more of the flying creatures and the ground for any smaller ones. However, as they continued to move onward, they at last came to a break in the large plants. There, at last, was grass, all growing in the large open area. But that wasn't all. Lots of big fat creatures with tiny post legs and horns coming from out of their heads were there. They were all eating the grass that was there, and Bahamut and Wyvern noticed this.

"This must be human food. They don't eat other people." Bahamut explained.

"But could one of those tiny humans really eat one of these?" Wyvern asked, rather confused.

"I dunno. Let's ask them."

However, as Bahamut and Wyvern swooped down to try and confront them, like so many times before they turned and bolted for it as fast as they could, rushing headlong back into the huge planets, where they had more cover. Bahamut and Wyvern both lowered and noticed this, but remembered what they had said before. They turned to each other and nodded, then looked back to the crowd of creatures. They flapped their wings as hard as they could, and soon were taking off full speed after them. These new ones were fast, but the two espers were still faster than them. As quick as they went, they couldn't stay far enough ahead of them.

The animals did make it to the trees, but it was of to no avail. Bahamut and Wyvern merely rose and continued to pursue them from overhead. The panicked creatures ran faster and faster, trying to avoid these new arrivals. But Bahamut and Wyvern never lost an inch on them. Rather, they focused in hard on the creatures, and prepared to seize them. Wyvern was the first to zero in on one. He grinned, and opened his lower claws to prepare to dive. However…Wyvern didn't realize that he came from a family of much stronger people who could take a strong tackle with much less force. Nor did he realize that these creatures below him were much weaker than other things were that he had known. Neither of these important bits of information figured in as the esper dove and wrapped one claw foot around the creature's neck and one around its body.

"I got one, I got one!"

Bahamut immediately gave up the pursuit. Wyvern quickly did as well, and the rest of the creatures ran off. The two espers rejoined and then flew to the nearest small clearing that they could find, one large enough for the three of them. Once they were there, Wyvern released the creature and then flapped into a landing near it. Bahamut came in on the other side.

"Ok, human food." Wyvern spoke to the motionless creature, lying on the ground limply. "Do humans really eat you? If so, how do they do it?"

The creature made no response. It didn't even move.

"Hello? Ultima Nexus to human food, do you hear me?" Wyvern prodded.

The creature once again didn't respond. Frowning, Wyvern shifted the thing slightly with his claw. The creature shifted but didn't move under its own power. Wyvern sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with it. A fine time to go to sleep." The esper looked up to his brother. "What is it thinking?"

Bahamut looked at the thing, and concentrated for a moment. But concentrate as he might, he couldn't think of anything. The mind was blank, like it wasn't even there. Bahamut blinked a moment, then leaned forward and touched the creature. He couldn't feel anything moving inside, like he could whenever he felt any of the other espers. At that…Bahamut began to turn a shade white. He swallowed, and then slowly looked up to Wyvern. Feebly, he croaked three small words.

"…You killed him."

Wyvern froze for a moment, but then rapidly began to turn the same white color. Both Bahamut and Wyvern looked down at the creature, then back to each other, then back to the creature again. They hesitated a moment longer, silent, not knowing what to do… Then, at once, both of them began to sniffle and cry. Neither of them had ever killed anyone before in their life, and they hadn't even been in the dark world one day and they had already killed someone. It broke their hearts. Both of them lay down in the clearing and their eyes filled with tears. They sobbed over the ground and whined and moped aloud.

"I didn't mean too!"

"You're always too rough!"

"He was alive when I picked him up!"

"Poor little furry thing…"

Both of them spent an hour in mourning over the dead creature. However, after an hour had passed, both of them began to grow uneasy. They had killed something. Killing was not good. Crusader had taught them that. Therefore…what was going to happen to them? What kind of retribution would they incur? What was going to transpire? Maybe they'd be banished to the world as well. Maybe they too would have to live as humans and never be able to return to Ultima Nexus. The fears became very, very real as Bahamut thought on that they might not really ever be able to get back home again. Bahamut began to regret ever coming, regret ever trying to find out who humans were and what was human food…

But then, while Bahamut sank into deeper despair, Wyvern began to sniff the dead creature. As he did, Bahamut began to recognize the hungry look in his eyes, and his mouth began to water. The blue esper looked to him in the midst of his own despair, looked to the body, and then looked back to Wyvern.

"You can't be serious."

Wyvern trembled a bit, and then shrugged. "Well…it is human food, isn't it?"

Bahamut was outraged. "You can't eat that thing! You killed it!"

"It was an accident!"

"You'll act just like a human!"

"They kill them on purpose! It'll just go to waste!"

Bahamut rolled his eyes and refused to look at this. He couldn't believe his stupid brother. Wyvern himself hesitated for a short while, but gradually inched closer to the body. Trying to look as innocent as possible, not wanting any more guilt on his head, he leaned over to the side of the creature…sniffed it…and at last tentatively set his teeth onto it. Bahamut turned white and covered his eyes. Wyvern fought a battle of will and hunger for a moment…but at last did it. He chomped down, and tore a piece of the flesh off the creature, skin and all. He began to chew it in his mouth for a short time, looking uneasy the whole way, especially when blood began to drip from his mouth. But at last, he swallowed it, and slowly ran his tongue over his lips.

"…He's good."

Bahamut fumed. "You're a cannibal!" He exclaimed out loud…even as the smell of the meat now began to penetrate his own nostrils…and began to make his own mouth water. Wyvern himself hesitated a moment, but then suddenly spasmed. He turned his head to the side and coughed a terrible hack. Immediately, a ball of hair mixed with bile and phlegm splattered onto the ground. Bahamut was shocked again, and Wyvern wiped his lips.

"Eh…get a hairball when you eat their fur…" He muttered. "I'll…uh…peel off the next bite…"

Bahamut kept frowning. "Oh yeah." He snorted…as he inched closer to the carcass. "It's not good enough to just eat him. You have to make him easier to eat. You make me sick."

Wyvern whimpered, looking low again, as he turned his talons onto the creature and peeled off part of its hide using his sharp claws. After doing so, he dipped in, and much more quickly took a much larger bite out of the creature. He also chewed it quicker and swallowed it quicker as well. Bahamut stared at him, the hungry look going into his own eyes. Yet a frown was still on his face as he licked his lips. As Wyvern went down for another bite, Bahamut rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine…I guess I'll just have to clean up after you to make sure you don't leave his bones looking like a gnawed on skeleton." And with that he readily dived into the meat as well.

* * *

Wyvern, flying again, was silent and looking rather disappointed with himself. He shook his head, and belched as he did so. "I'm…I'm a cannibal."

Bahamut looked rather upset as well with himself. "We both are… I hope we're allowed to go home."

"Good idea though…to take his hide and fur with us." Wyvern slowly murmured. "We can at least have a memorial service later…maybe thank his spirit for feeding us and apologize for killing him."

Bahamut continued to mope, but nodded. "Yeah…"

Wyvern hesitated a moment, then finally turned slightly back to Bahamut. "By the way…need me to carry some of those other hides of human food?"

"Nah, we're only up to ten so far."

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Human Nature

Bahamut eventually came up with a method to rationalize their behavior. He never noticed anything advanced coming from any of the human food creatures. All of them thought only basic things, like the butterflies and bees in Ultima Nexus. For that reason, and also because Crusader was never mad when they accidentally sat on one or smashed one, he figured they were ok. Nevertheless, he didn't get rid of the hides of the creatures, even when they ate four more of the human food creatures.

They also ate another creature. While flying along, Wyvern smelled honey. They went down and tried to find the source, and found that there was a comb that a large creature was at. It was brown and had a lot of sharp teeth and claws. It roared rather loudly, and Bahamut thought this was a human. However, it didn't think any better than the other creatures they ate, and when they tried to talk to it, it roared and charged at them. Wyvern instinctively smacked it with his tail, and consequently killed it. They both decided that was self-defense, and ate the body to not waste the body left behind. They ate the honey afterward, which both of them realized was far inferior to the honey at home, and was almost unbearable in comparison. Both of them took off soon after and kept flying.

Regardless of those encounters, Bahamut and Wyvern didn't see anything they thought was a human. They saw no more of the beast creatures, and most of the human food ran away from them. There were a few other flying things, but they always ran when they came by. However, Bahamut did began to notice one thing. The sky seemed to actually be growing darker. And as it got darker, it got cooler out as well. Bahamut was able to see well enough in darkness, as did Wyvern…but both of them began to grow uneasy, and quickly. They had never seen the world get dark like this. Bahamut figured that this really was a world of darkness if this was the case, but why was it getting dark now? Had they done something? Or had everything that they had eaten come back for retribution? They both feared the second, and as the sky grew darker and darker they both swallowed and looked to each other.

"M-M-Maybe it's just nightfall…" Bahamut murmured.

"Y-Y-Yeah…that's it…" Wyvern echoed.

"We should get back."

"Yeah…but it'll take hours to get back to that hole."

"Oh…right…" Bahamut responded, and swallowed as he kept flying. He looked around again at the world below for a moment. At last, he exhaled. "Well…I guess we might have to stay here tonight."

Wyvern turned to him, his look fearful. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean…who knows what the dark world is like when it's dark out… Especially for people who ate other creatures…"

Bahamut swallowed at that. "I know…but we can't go back. I don't want to fly at night."

"Me neither… I guess you're right." Wyvern ruefully answered. He was wanting to land pretty soon. It was getting darker and dimmer outside, and it was starting to scare him. He looked around a bit, and then back to Bahamut. "Where should we land?"

Bahamut looked around at the ground for a moment after hearing that. After a few moments, his eyes rested on a slightly raised rock hill amid the large plants. It wasn't the best looking place in the world, but Wyvern and Bahamut were used to sitting on rock places. It was also higher above the plants, so they'd be able to see anything coming and sleep under the stars. Then again, Bahamut realized, with all the clouds in the sky, they might not see any stars. Yet it couldn't be helped. He motioned to Wyvern the direction of the rock hill. Wyvern nodded, and soon both espers swept down and began to make for it. They dove out of the sky toward the rock pile, extended their legs, and then touched down. They both collapsed on all fours immediately, Bahamut dumping his pile, and both hunched down close to the rock. Their wings collapsed, and they both lay still on top of the rock.

It was very dim outside now. Barely any light was still showing. The two lay silently, and looked around a bit. It was very quiet out. No insects were buzzing or chirping. The wind made an eerie noise… And both of them realized it was cold, and soon began to extend their wings and wrap them around themselves. Wyvern exhaled a misty breath.

"It's very cold…" He spoke out loud. "Isn't there any place better to sleep?"

"I dunno." Bahamut simply replied, though he wished there was some place else to sleep too.

"It's quiet too…"

"Real quiet…"

Both espers went silent after this. They lay on the rock, trying to cover themselves up as best as they could, and looked out around into the large plants. They were very tall, and as the last traces of light began to fade, they produced dark shadows and many spaces, nooks, and crannies within their branches and trunks. Bahamut began to quiver a little, partially from cold but partially from fear. This world was very still and cold. There wasn't anything alive in the forest. Nothing was alive where that cold white powder was scattered. Bahamut didn't like it, and he didn't like the world either. As the sky grew darker, no stars came out. The clouds blocked them. The world became truly dark now. There wasn't any light at all anywhere for them to enjoy, not even in the sky. It turned completely black as the sun went down.

Bahamut shivered a bit in fear. Both he and Wyvern could see well enough in the dark, but he had never looked in anything this dark before. And he had never looked within such dark things before. Everytime he heard a rustling or any other type of noise, he raised his head and looked to it. Wyvern did too. Both of them were anxious and uneasy for an entire hour after landing, not able to even begin to sleep. Their own fears kept them awake where cold couldn't. The coldness scared Bahamut. He had never felt his little claws and his beak feel so cold before. All the heat seemed to drain out of them, and he was afraid that maybe it was an effect of the dark world. He deeply began to fear the plants around them, thinking that creatures would come out of them…big monstrous creatures…all the creatures that Crusader had warned would eat them up if they ever went there. Bahamut shuddered more and more as time went on, passing so slowly. What if they never got back? What if they were stuck in this cold dark place forever? What if humans came and ate them the moment they went to sleep? One horrifying possibility after another filled Bahamut's head as he lay in the darkness, endlessly peering into the woods and shaking…waiting for something to come out and surprise him…and get him…

"Bahamut!"

"Ack!" The esper cried, thinking a monster had called his name. He jumped up, but quickly the limbs of Wyvern grabbed him and yanked him to the rock once again, hiding himself. His brother stuck his face into his, and made a shushing noise for him to be quiet. Bahamut panicked for a moment longer, but then realized what was going on, and began to realize that Wyvern had talked to him in a loud whisper. What more, once he went silent, he heard a rushing coming. A loud rushing. It was crashing through all of the large plants, and it was coming toward them. It sounded like something that was scared, and was running from danger. This instantly intrigued the blue esper.

Wyvern, who had noticed it first, pointed out and indicated where the noise was coming from. Bahamut looked as well, and despite the near pitch blackness, his advanced eyes could see what it was. It was a human food, and it was dashing through the large plants in fear. Bahamut knew that look. That was the same look they had when they fled from the two espers. Something was chasing it. Sure enough, when Bahamut scanned its thoughts, they were centered on survival and fleeing.

"A human food." Wyvern whispered aloud.

"It's being chased." Bahamut explained.

Wyvern hesitated a moment, and then grinned. "Maybe it's being chased by a human! Maybe we'll finally get a look at them!"

Bahamut recognized that, and quickly shushed Wyvern. "Let's be quiet! We don't want to scare one away."

Both espers went quiet, and watched the human food keep running. It drew closer and closer to them, darting through the trees. At last, it began to slow down, and eventually came to a stop. It panted, seeming to regain its breath. It hesitated for a short while, and relaxed from its terrifying run. But then, it perked up its head and looked back the way it had come. At the same time, Bahamut and Wyvern heard another sound…a sound of a larger, more clumsy rushing. They both turned their heads and looked to the plants, holding their breath...and wondering if a human would finally come.

At last…they saw a new creature. Not just one, however. There were a good twenty, stretched out through the tall plants and rushing forward. This creature, contrary to being odd looking like the others, looked remarkably like Odin and Starlet. Only they didn't wear any clothes like Starlet and Odin did. Rather, they were bare naked, totally hairless as they rushed forward. They were skinny and pale looking, not nearly as healthy appearing as Starlet or as built as Odin. Their hair was overgrown and stringy, filled with debris and grunge. Their bodies were covered with dirt, bruises, cuts, and other small bits of damage. They were rather pathetic looking compared to the other creatures. They couldn't run nearly as fast as human food, for their legs were too thick. They weren't nearly as powerful as the tooth and claw creature, as their minor strength indicated. And they couldn't fly or scurry like the other creatures they saw. They were panting and looked rather tired, some of them covered with sweat. Wyvern and Bahamut were genuinely puzzled, and blinked as they stared at the creatures.

"Uh…are those humans?" Wyvern asked tentatively.

"I dunno…" Bahamut mused.

"Can you read their minds?"

Bahamut hesitated a moment, but then decided to do so. He looked to one of the creatures, a large one who's face had hair as well as his head, and concentrated. After he thought for a moment, for the first time ever, the thoughts he expected to get from the strong minds of his brothers and sisters came easily forth from the weak minded creature.

_Hungry…so hungry…have to catch it… Don't give up now. Tribe needs you… Keep running… Burning in chest… Tired…must eat…starving…_

"Well?"

Bahamut blinked in surprise. "Their thoughts are clear… They're hungry for the human food… They must be human."

Wyvern looked genuinely surprised. "_That's_ a human!" He nearly spoke out loud. He snorted afterward. "They don't look that scary…"

Both espers went silent after that, and watched what they were doing. In short order, they found that the humans were all chasing after the one human food. They were a wide variety. Some were men and women, and there were lots of older and younger generations mixed in with all of them. Bahamut tried to scan their minds, but all of their goals were devoted to catching the creature. The creature, however, freely exercised its superior ability. Despite the movement of the twenty humans in a line toward it, it merely turned and used the advantage of speed to get around them in a flash, making for an opening. The humans turned direction and tried to corner it again from the other side. Once again, the human food made an attempt to break around them. This time, however, five more humans came in and cut off its escape. It might have been a good move, except Bahamut saw how slow and weak the humans were. The human food had more than enough time to turn and go the other way and escape, leaving the humans frustrated and chasing after it again.

Wyvern frowned. "They aren't that dangerous. We can kill human food better than they can."

"They're hungry, tired, and cold." Bahamut explained. "They're not at their best."

However, despite this observation by Bahamut, both espers recognized something significant about the humans. They were remarkably intelligent. As the mass of humans chased the seemingly tireless human food around, other humans set themselves up behind large plants elsewhere. At last, another group of humans moved in on the human food, driving it toward the hiding humans. When the human food ran by, the humans leapt out and seized it. The human food never knew what happened. However, this measure was still largely ineffective. The humans had stunned the animal long enough to grab onto it, but they could do little else. The creature normally threw them off or battered them with its legs. Even if it didn't, the human could only pound or claw at it ineffectively for a few short moments before the beast threw it off and kept running, barely any worse for wear. Meanwhile, the rest of the humans in their relentless hunt grew more tired and cold all the time.

The two espers endured this for a while, but eventually Wyvern frowned again. "They're being too stupid. They'll never kill that human food. I'm surprised their weak little bodies could kill anything."

"They're tired." Bahamut answered simply.

"Then why don't they take a break?"

"The human food will get away if they do."

"And if they're cold, how come they don't wear clothes like Odin and Starlet?"

"Odin and Starlet didn't make their own clothes."

"Oh yeah…"

The fears of the two espers diminished as they watched the "hunt" take place for two hours. The animal was pretty much isolated to the one area they observed, but the humans could do little else to try and finish the job. The creature was simply too fast and strong for them. It slowed a little, but not nearly enough compared to the other humans. The human food wasn't affected by hunger and cold like they were. And though the humans did several brilliant attack patterns, ones that Bahamut noticed they seemed to convey to one another through some strange noises from their mouths, none of them affected the human food significantly. As time marched on, at last some of the humans began to fall to the ground, and didn't get up again. Bahamut figured that they were too exhausted…but he realized with time that it might have been worse than that. All in all, Bahamut was rather puzzled at these creatures. While they seemed hungry for other living things, they seemed to be the least capable to do any damage to them. The blue esper gauged their strength, and realized that he could kill them even easier than he had killed the human food. This was supposed to be the dark creature that Crusader had warned them about? They were a joke…

However, at last, two humans did something that stunned both Wyvern and Bahamut.

Bahamut was the first to spot them. While Wyvern was looking at the hunt, he noticed a group of humans setting up another ambush. But there were a pair of humans ahead of them, before the animal would have gotten into the thick of the other humans. This pair moved the most secretive out of them all, and when Bahamut read their minds, he sensed a great deal of secrecy and stealth movements. To his surprise, the two seemed to be wanting to avoid the humans as well as the human food. They were younger humans, looking rather small and thin compared to the others. They had no hair on their faces, and both of them had the same eyes and light-colored hair, a color Bahamut had never seen on Starlet or Odin. He gestured the attention of Wyvern to these two, and both of them watched them closely.

To Bahamut's puzzlement, one of the two younger humans took out a long stick. It was straight and solid, coming not from dead plants on the ground but a strong one. The human then reached up into his long hair, fiddled a bit, and then came down with two items. One looked like a long, thin root that had been bent multiple times. The other was some sort of long, sharp stone. Both espers were confused by this action, but watched the human. Using the root, he stuck the sharp stone to the end of the stick and wrapped the root around it, then tied it down until the sharp stone was on the end of the stick and held fairly tight. After that, he passed the stick to the other human, and both pressed against the back of the large plant. At that moment, the humans began to drive the human food downward. The second human looked out from behind the tree for a moment, but then looked back and panted. Bahamut sensed great anxiety coming from him.

Wyvern grunted. "What are those silly creatures doing now?"

Bahamut, however, focused hard. "Keep watching… I have a theory…"

Thehuman food came rushing, almost straight as before. Unlike the humans, it did not learn from its mistakes. Ahead, the other human group prepared to ambush it again. But the two young humans against the tall plant waited. The human with the stick panted and sweat, just as they other did. He grasped the stick hard, and tried to listen for the incoming human food. His body tensed up, prepared to leap the moment that it came close. Bahamut watched in earnest, waiting, seeing what the humans had done…

Finally, the human food was moments from passing the large plant. At that moment, the second human, holding the stick, leapt out from behind the large plant, much the same way the ambushing humans had before. Only this time, the human merely stuck the stick out right in front of it with the sharp end pointed at the creature, and braced himself as best he could. Thehuman food, not able to stop in time, realized what was happening too late, and ran itself right onto the sharp stone. It held for a moment, but then ripped into its chest and pierced it, driving a foot of the stick into it. The human food let out a cry of some sort, spitting blood as it did so. But then, after one twitch, it fell over dead. The young human released the stick, and his companion came out from behind the tree. Both of them stood over the beast, and the hunt was finished.

Bahamut was totally amazed. His mouth hung open in shock. Wyvern himself blinked a few times, amazed at what he had seen. The former shook his head. "Truly remarkable… This is an intelligent species. Not only does it rely on its own power…it can use other things to give itself more power! Even I never thought of that!"

"No wonder Odin is always fooling around with that sword…" Wyvern muttered.

"Amazing…" Bahamut whispered on. "The human has inadequate teeth and nails himself, so he builds a sharp tooth big enough to destroy the creature for him. That was fantastic…"

"Yeah…" Wyvern went on. "Only how come they didn't just do that before?"

Bahamut was silent after hearing that, and puzzlement returned to his face. Why hadn't they done that before? It would have saved a lot of pain and injury, and especially time out in the cold weather. Nevertheless, that was a small inconvenience, and he was interested in looking to see the other humans complement the younger's ingenuity. Yet contrary to what he believed, an odd display took shape next…

The rest of the humans soon dashed to the area, noticing that the hunt was over. At first, they all rushed toward the carcass of the human food. The two who had been responsible for its demise also stepped toward it and looked down. Rather than having any joy or digging right in while it was still warm, the two both looked silent and still, and said nothing as they looked down at it. It seemed almost a solemn occasion. As the humans arrived, both espers were amazed at how they reacted. They first saw the dead animal, and were oddly quiet and still. Then, they looked up to the two young humans, and stared at them with strange cold looks. They were still and silent, coming to stand around the creature and looking at the two young humans strangely. It looked like a mixture of emotionless…and fear. Some of them actually looked a bit taken aback at the two young humans. Others, to Bahamut's amazement, frowned at them and babbled something at them. When two particular humans showed up, which Bahamut assumed was a man and a woman based on hair, they glared at both of them like they were monstrosities. The man rushed forward and smacked both of them in the face, screaming some language at them the whole time. The woman fell to the ground and sobbed. Soon, all the humans were gathered around the two young humans and the carcass. They all stood still and silent, somber and astranged from the two.

Wyvern blinked. "What's the matter with them? What are they doing?"

"I dunno…" Bahamut answered, but was growing rather curious himself. He started to probe into their minds, seeing what they were thinking. What he found was shocking. Most of them were thinking fearful thoughts, some even terrified. They were all thinking disapproval and even revulsion to the two young humans. Some were angry, and thought all sorts of dark thoughts about the two young humans. This was beyond belief for the esper. "They…they're actually upset at the two humans."

"What?" Wyvern hissed in a small whisper. "What's the matter with those dumb humans? Do they want to kill a human food or not? What, did they think they weren't going to kill it by jumping on it and beating it to death eventually?"

Bahamut continued to focus, and spoke again out loud. "They don't seem to be worried so much about the death of the human food…as how it was killed…"

Wyvern turned to Bahamut. "You mean, by using that stick and stone?"

"Yes." Bahamut answered.

Abruptly, both espers stopped talking as the humans around the young ones started to speak out. In particular, a few spoke out strongly, using bold voices and disapproving tones. As they did, the one woman cried louder, the man turned and went away from them, and both young men look especially ashamed. While one human was talking, the stick and stone was yanked out of the animal. To Bahamut's puzzlement, they instantly shattered the stick and stone and threw its pieces away. All who did so looked repulsed and scared.

"Those idiots…" Wyvern grumbled. "They got rid of a perfectly good…um…thing! It was helping them kill those human food a lot easier!"

"From what I can gather from their thoughts…" Bahamut murmured. "It looks like there's a rule against using that kind of stick to hunt human food."

Wyvern snorted. "That's stupid. The job was much easier before."

The humans abruptly stopped talking. After they did so, four humans came to the carcass and picked it up. Other humans surrounded the two young humans, looking like the largest and most powerful of the humans. After that, the ones who had been speaking went toward the front of the group, and the others arranged a line behind them, or some sort of group procession. Included in it was the surrounded boys, and the four that were carrying the dead human food. After that happened, they began to slowly march off through the forest. Whatever it was, it looked like the hunt was over. Wyvern and Bahamut both raised their heads a little at this, now that the humans had their backs turned to them and were walking away. They didn't notice them. The humans seemed to not have nearly as good eyesight as Wyvern and Bahamut, and the sky was so dark that no stars or moon was there to illuminate their way. Soon, the humans were making their way back into the tall plants, and were vanishing. Bahamut and Wyvern both blinked, and looked to each other.

"That was odd." Bahamut spoke aloud. "They didn't seem that evil."

Wyvern frowned. "I thought you could sense evil here."

"I can." Bahamut answered. "But the humans didn't seem to have any more evil than we do."

"Well, where is the evil coming from?"

"I can't tell… It seems so strong…that I'd almost think it was coming from everywhere."

Wyvern sighed and looked to the way the humans had left from. "Well, let's not waste anymore time. Let's follow them."

Bahamut was surprised by this comment. "Huh?"

"Oh, come on, Big B." Wyvern answered with an air of danger. "You want to know where they're going and what they're doing too, don't you? After all this time we finally find these humans, so don't you think we should see what's so evil about them? They're the most interesting thing on this world. Let's see more of them."

Bahamut still looked uneasy. "I dunno… If they're so evil, we shouldn't tag along with them. They're dangerous and-"

"Would you rather try to sleep here?" Wyvern asked, a bit of a crafty look on his face.

Bahamut, at the thought, swallowed hard. "Er…I guess we could watch them a little…"

Bahamut and Wyvern were soon taking to flight and in pursuit of the creatures. Flying made them both feel better, to get pumping their muscles and feel warmer in the cold night. It was still cold, however, and they weren't in the best spirits. They could hardly see how the humans could endure it. They soon discovered that many of them couldn't. Some of them fell down when they walked along, and had to be helped up by several other humans. However, Bahamut and Wyvern didn't watch them too closely. As they dropped, the flapping of their wings was easier to tell from the wind, and the humans looked up to see if they were there. They had to rise quickly when they did that, and afterward try to glide silently rather than chase after them closely with numerous wing flappings. Still, the two espers were able to follow after fairly close.

The humans walked for a while, their trip taking them several hours, through many tall plants, and up and down large hills. Some more humans collapsed along the way. It grew colder, and as it did, the mist intensified among them all. Eventually, one of the humans fell, and didn't get back up. The young seemed to have the hardest time. However, when one of the older humans went to pick one up and carry it, another human slapped that one, and all kept walking alone. Bahamut was puzzled at this. That seemed rather mean, so maybe the humans were evil after all. But overall they still didn't seem that sinister, or even odd looking.

As they continued to go forward, Bahamut and Wyvern started to notice something. A red glow was coming, poking from behind the hills and through the tall plants. The humans were headed for that. Bahamut and Wyvern, on the other hand, were nervous and held back a slight bit.

"Is that the dawn?" Wyvern asked.

"It's too early." Bahamut answered.

"Then…what is it?"

"…Beats me."

"…You fly first."

"No, you."

The humans approached without fear. However, Bahamut didn't feel too good about that if they were evil creatures. They could be going into some big piece of evil or something. He had never seen a glow like that before. As the espers and humans drew closer, and crossed the next hill, Bahamut and Wyvern saw that it wasn't coming from the horizon, but actually from the ground beneath the tall plants, on a high hill in the distance. Now, both espers were rather frightened.

"What's that?"

"I…I…I dunno…"

"Uh…maybe we…er, should…"

"Are you getting scared, Wyvern?"

"What! Me? No way!"

"Yeah. M-m-me neither…"

However, both espers were more tentative in their flying, holding back as much as they could as the humans approached. They stopped watching the procession of humans all together after a while, and focused instead on the red light coming from the forest. As they drew nearer, it seemed to be more like light from the sun, only at all times of the day rather than simply noon, afternoon, or anywhere in between. Both were considerably frightened by this, and grew more nervous as they closed in. At last, Bahamut turned to Wyvern.

"Uh…I don't know about you, Wyvern…but I'd rather go over that place from a distance and at full speed to see what it is before I risk walking right into it."

Wyvern turned to him, hesitated a moment, but then nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea to me." He spoke, more shakily than his claimed bravery indicated. After that, both espers forgot the people below for a moment, flapped their wings harder, and began to ascend from the procession and head toward the light from a safe height.

The two espers flew forward a bit, shooting ahead of the procession, and then circled around the light from their height. They were rather amazed at what they saw. Some sort of moving substance (Bahamut couldn't tell if it was solid, liquid, or gas) was flaring up on a bunch of dead plants. It looked like some sort of ball with a lot of tongues, but it glowed like it was a piece of the sun. It made the light that they saw from a distance, but moreover it made heat, just like the sun did. Still, both espers kept their distance. They saw that there were more humans around it…much more. Most of them were huddled close to the substance, obviously absorbing its heat. Regardless, however, they were still pressed close together, huddled in huge masses for warmth. Some of them were at a farther distance, and those people were covered with fur. Yet as Bahamut got bold enough to look closer, he saw it wasn't their own, but rather the fur of human food. Obviously, the humans used their hides too. Yet the ones that had it looked very pale and weak. Some of them seemed rather old. Bahamut thought they didn't have long to live.

There was another thing too. This stood out from the others like a sore thumb. For a moment, Bahamut thought it was a living thing in the midst of the humans, yet distinctly different. It was a shiny color, and it gleamed in the light of the substance especially brightly. It seemed to have four limbs and a head, a monstrous head that looked like that of a terrible monster. That had startled both Bahamut and Wyvern both. Rather than having any legs, it looked like it was mounted onto a stone platform. It looked over all the humans, and all of them lay or sat in the path of the eyes that had been made for its head. Both Wyvern and Bahamut were puzzled as they swept around the area, but for some reason because the humans weren't scared of the warm substance, neither were they. In fact…it felt pretty good.

"What's that?" Wyvern asked when he pointed out the four armed shiny thing.

"It looks like it's alive, but it isn't." Bahamut answered. "Maybe it's a dead thing."

"It shines like Starlet and Odin's stuff." Wyvern commented. "Maybe it's made out of the same stuff, and it looks like something that's alive."

"Wow… Pretty neat that something that looks so alive just formed so randomly…" Bahamut murmured. "Let's find a place to land."

Wyvern was hesitant. "I dunno… That glowing stuff looks strange… And besides, they might see us in the light."

"Let's get on top of some of the thicker plants." Bahamut answered. "I think they'll hold our weight."

Wyvern agreed, mostly out of wanting to get closer to the warm substance than anything else. However, both young espers descended. They moved quietly, not wanting to arouse the attention of any of the humans below. Once they were low enough, they gently stepped onto the large plants, trying not to make too much sound. Bahamut was a bit afraid the plan wouldn't work, as they both were pretty large. However, though the branches looked too weak, some of the trunks were thick enough to support them. By wrapping their limbs around them and their tails, they were able to hold on pretty well. What more, they had a clear view of the humans gathered around the glowing thing and the shiny thing. After that, they were silent, and waited.

It was still a few more minutes before the procession arrived. But when they did, the other people gathered around the glowing substance readily rose up. They left the nearby warmth of the glowing substance and rushed out to meet the people as they came. They seemed rather happy and enthusiastic, and the only ones not joining them were those who wore the human food hides. They smiled too though. However, as they approached the procession, the human in the lead held up his hand and cried out some sort of babble. On doing so, the other humans became just as grim and as lowly as the other humans were in the procession. Readily, they parted, letting the people come through. Bahamut and Wyvern watched them intently.

Wyvern whispered to his brother. "Can you tell what they're saying?"

Bahamut frowned. "How can I? I don't speak human."

"Their minds, genius." Wyvern spoke in a sigh. "Read their minds."

"Oh!" Bahamut called out mildly in reply. "Right, right!" Immediately, he formed a look of concentration and focused on them. The humans continued to walk, unaware of the probe, as they headed closer and closer toward the glowing substance and to the shiny thing beyond it. After focusing a moment, Bahamut looked back up to his brother.

"I can't read exactly what they're saying…" He answered. "But it looks like the big one called a meeting. And it's something serious. All of the humans are thinking fearful thoughts and are really nervous."

"About what?"

"I dunno."

The two espers were left with only one choice, to keep watching the humans until something happened. Luckily, the whole mass, save for the sickly humans, moved toward the glowing thing, went around it, and then began to approach the shiny object behind it. By doing so, they were putting themselves farther and farther away from either esper, giving them a bit more room to speak more loudly. Yet they said nothing for now, and Bahamut detected no change in the humans' thoughts. They kept watching them go, until they reached the stone pedistal with the shiny thing.

Once there, the carcass of the human food was placed out in front of the object, and the bigger humans shoved the two young ones in front of the object. Once that happened, the one human who had led the procession stepped up until he was right behind the two young men. After that, he suddenly stretched out his arms in front of the shiny object. The whole group of humans went silent, and all was still. After that, the one human began to call out. Bahamut and Wyvern listened closely, but of course couldn't understand. The human spoke for a while, then quit, and Wyvern looked over to Bahamut.

"Well?"

"Really strange…" Bahamut spoke with a puzzled look. "They're talking to that shiny thing like it's alive. They're saying something about wanting to be forgiven, punishing bad people, and talking really highly about some person called Griever."

Wyvern was confused again. The humans continued to stand in silence, all looking to the shiny object and waiting. At last, the esper shrugged. "Who's Griever?"

Suddenly, something happened. The ground began to shake slightly, and the two espers both forgot about the humans and looked surprised to each other. Everything was still silent in the night. The few creatures in the area still silent got up or flew off, leaving just the crowd of silent humans and the two espers. Both of them sat in the trees and tried to withstand the shaking, all the while wondering what terrible thing it was and hoping they wouldn't fall out of the trees. This went on for a short while before the ground shaking suddenly stopped. When it did, both of the young espers looked back to the statue…just in time to receive another shock.

The statue was talking!

It spoke out in a huge, blasting voice. It echoed through the night, scaring more creatures, and was deeper than five Odins. It resonated with power and spoke boldly. The humans trembled and recoiled in its sight, bowing their heads to it, and some dropping to their knees in front of it. Wyvern was pleasantly surprised. "You were wrong, Bahamut…that thing is alive!"

Bahamut didn't respond at once. As the thing continued to talk in the midst of the people, Wyvern turned his head toward his esper brother. He saw a look of confusion on his face as he stared at the thing. "That's strange…" He whispered aloud. "If it's alive, I should be getting thoughts from it. But I can't read anything from it. Yet it is talking to the people…"

"Can you make out what it's saying?" Wyvern asked.

"Not from it…but the people are thinking about the words…" Bahamut spoke in reply. "It's hard to figure out…but the people are all scared of that shiny thing. I think it's the Griever person, because they all think it is. They also are fearing something…like being punished…like they're being told that someone broke the rules or something…"

At that moment, the shiny thing stopped talking. When it did, the cringing humans, all looking scared and frightened, hesitated a moment. But then, the lead human got up and stepped forward. With that, he began to get his confidence back, and pointed an accusing finger at the two young humans, yelling out something as he did so. He then pointed to the dead human food, also before the shiny thing. Wyvern was already looking to Bahamut, waiting for the translation.

"Well?"

"Give me a minute! It's confusing!" Bahamut answered back with a grumble.

But while Bahamut was still trying to figure things out, the shiny thing suddenly spoke out in its booming voice again. After it did so, both of the young humans fell to their knees and began to speak out in pleading voices. Both of them were nearly on the verge of tears, and seemed very scared indeed. Wyvern scowled, angry that he couldn't understand at all what was going on. At last, Bahamut turned to him and spoke.

"I'm not really sure…but it seems that killing a human food with one of those stick things is really bad." Bahamut answered. "This Griever person doesn't like it. They all look up to Griever or something. The two humans are apologizing right now. The one that stabbed the human food is talking about the other human as if he's a really bad and lying person. The one who made the stick is talking about his sick little sister or something. She's one of those people in the group. They don't have any human food skin for her or enough food for her to get better, so he wanted to kill a human food easier using that stick."

Wyvern thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Sounds good enough to me."

"I don't think that Griever thing thinks so." Bahamut answered.

Suddenly, the leader human stepped forward and began to speak again. Wyvern readily looked to Bahamut, hoping for an explanation. He soon got one from the young esper.

"The leader is begging this Griever person that they get to keep the human food. Everyone is hungry, and they need the hide."

After the plea, the humans recoiled and groveled some more before the object. Bahamut thought it all rather strange, not just the object talking but also them all cowering before it. Yet though they were scared, they all seemed to have great affection in their minds for the shiny thing, something that only confused Bahamut more. There was silence for a long period of time, during which everyone looked scared and recoiled from the object. But then, at long last, the object spoke again, once again in a big, booming voice. Bahamut immediately went back to reading the minds of the humans, while Wyvern blinked and struggled to try to read what was happening from body language. After the statue boomed something for a while, the humans seemed to be slightly relieved and very thankful. But then, the thing went on a bit longer, speaking in a more harsh tone. After that, the thing suddenly stopped talking, and something very surprising happened.

Abruptly, the eyes of the shiny thing started to glow. One of the young humans suddenly cried out in terror and began to cry and whine more. The other young human also cried, and spoke out in a pleading voice as well. However, none of their pleading would help. The object's eyes glowed as bright as the glowing object. Then, abruptly, two long rays shot out of the eyes, and landed right on the young human who begged first. To Bahamut and Wyvern's horror, the young human screamed in agony as he was suddenly covered with the glowing substance. He screamed a terrible tone, and the humans recoiled in terror. Some of them, however, merely turned their heads down with stony faces. Wyvern gasped and blinked, never having seen anything so terrible. Bahamut shuddered in fear, and turned his head away, feeling sick. One human, a female, cried out in more agony than anyone else. Bahamut and Wyvern recognized her as the woman from earlier. However, the man from earlier quickly ran up to her and smacked her. She wouldn't stop yelling, so he smacked her again and again and again. Blood came from her face, but eventually she was beaten so badly that she fell to the ground and was unable to cry anymore. The young human's own screaming died after a while, and he fell to the ground, nothing left in the glowing mass except for a black shape that looked mildly like him.

Both Wyvern and Bahamut gasped.

"Is…is he…is he dead?" Wyvern asked in terror.

"His thoughts stopped…terrible thoughts of misery…" Bahamut spoke, his eyes almost tearing in terrror.

Wyvern exhaled sharply. "Oh…Crusader was right! This place is evil! That glowing stuff is evil! Man…why would the humans ever go near that thing if it does that to them?"

"Because…" Bahamut spoke slowly in reply. "…they wanted the young humans to be punished."

Wyvern turned to Bahamut in shock, but the esper continued. "The young humans broke the rules. They brought them to this Griever to punish them. They all feared the whole time that this thing would happen…to all of them, not just the young humans. They hoped that they would be punished instead. That Griever thing said they could keep the human food, but that the two young humans had to be punished. Griever said that the one who stabbed the human food had to be killed like that… The other young human begged for mercy, but Griever killed the other one anyway."

"That was cool looking…but horrible!" Wyvern exclaimed. "Do you think Griever is the nanny down here of the humans?"

Before Bahamut could answer, the booming sound went out again. It went a big longer this time. The humans managed to get back up and look more confident again. However, the one young human left had turned to the black remains of the other young human, and was crying considerably. The Griever thing continued to speak for a short while longer, but then stopped. When it did, the eyes went dark again, and the object was totally lifeless once again. Wyvern once again turned to Bahamut.

"Well?"

"The other young human has to be punished too because he made the sharp stick." Bahamut went on. "He's supposed to be left out for Griever, or something. They're taking him out to some tall plant that has these hard pieces of ivy on it…and putting him on it…or something…"

"Or something?" Wyvern spoke in amazement. "I barely understood one word of that last part!"

However, after a moment or so later, the huge humans went on the young human again. They grasped him by the shoulders and tried to pull him to his feet, rather roughly too. He wouldn't get up to begin with, and when he didn't they hit him hard. Bahamut was confused as to how that would make him get up any sooner, as he instead went face flat in front of the statue. But the huge humans pulled him up anyway, and began to drag him off. The lead human turned and pointed out to the distance, calling out to them to move that way, at least the espers assumed. They began to leave the area. The other humans quickly grabbed the human food carcass and began to drag it back toward the burning substance. The woman who was knocked down was left on the ground, and no one moved to help her up. Wyvern and Bahamut watched this movement again for a moment, staring intently at all that was going on and more confused than ever. Bahamut inhaled and exhaled.

"This place does seem evil after all…" Bahamut murmured. "But more to the humans rather than because of them."

"Let's see where they're taking the young human." Wyvern spoke. "I'll get a cramp if I stay up here much longer, and I want to see what you were trying to tell me."

Once again, the two espers were in the sky. It seemed colder in an instant, but not just because of loss of the burning substance. It was mostly because of the fact that it was getting colder as it got later. Nevertheless, the two espers were far too curious to break off now. They continued to follow the smaller group of humans as it walked off.

They walked a considerable distance, far away until the glow of the burning thing could no longer be seen. They got visibly colder. All of them were shivering, and wrapped their arms around them as they walked. But they were determined to fulfil their task, whatever it was. And so they continued to walk onward endlessly. It only grew colder as they did so, and Bahamut and Wyvern were both started to shudder as well as they moved along. They could only imagine how the humans felt. They couldn't see how they could stand to walk inthewhite stuffor be out this late. But they continued to leave, always putting distance between themselves and the other humans.

At length, they began to approach a large plant. This one was much thicker than the others around, it's trunk diameter easily three times as large as the other trees around it. It was silent out here. There wasn't a creature anywhere. It was dark and cold too. Luckily for Wyvern and Bahamut, there was also a rock cliff nearby, overhanging the area and dropping a constant shadow on the area below, dripping withfrozen waterfrom all of the cold weather and lack of sunlight. Both espers rested on top of it and looked down below. There, both Wyvern and Bahamut saw the "metal ivy". There were some sort of daisy chains made out of something hard attached to the tree. It was to this place that the humans went, silently and somberly.

Once they arrived there, the young human was roughly pushed against the tree. A few of the larger humans yelled at him, and hit him in the stomach or struck him in the head. By the time they were finished, the young human had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Also, something strange happened. White powder seemed to begin to fall from the sky. Both Wyvern and Bahamut were shocked by this, and looked up and around in wonderment and anxiety. But none of the other humans seemed to care much. After they had struck the young human, they put the hard daisy chains across him, binding him to the tree. The young human accepted this, and Bahamut found a great deal of resolve and a feeling of deserving in his mind. Once they had bound him, the lead human walked before him, held out his arms again, and spoke out something out loud again. With that done, the lead human and the other strong humans turned and walked away, moving quicker this time, and returned toward the direction of the town. The unseen espers were left with the young human tied to the tree, and silence in the night.

Both young espers watched the white stuff fall from the sky, and watched the human as well. He kept his head bowed, and a sad look on his face. Once or twice in the period to come, he cried a bit, but mostly just stood silently. Bahamut listened to him and sensed his thoughts constantly. Both espers looked to the heat coming from him, as well as monitored the noises coming from him. An hour went by, and the two espers swept their wings around them. The powder fell faster, and began to mount up around the young human's feet until he was ankle deep in it. The human shook more and more violently the whole time. His lips turned blue, and his skin turned paler than before. Bahamut was fascinated by this. Apparently…if the humans were cold enough…they got sick, perhaps even died. He wondered if the same thing applied to espers, as he didn't feel too good either. The powder slacked off and eventually quit over the next hour. But the young human was very pale now. His eyes slowly shut. His breathing slowed down considerably, and his heart did too. The young human's shivering ceased, and he became a limp, cold mass against the tree.

The whole time, the two espers were silent. But after this happened, they waited another few minutes, then looked to each other. "Well?" Wyvern asked.

"Well what?" Bahamut answered.

"What now?"

Bahamut hesitated a moment, then looked to the human. Yes, the human was definitely dying now. He was sure of that. Yet inside him…Bahamut felt a bit of regret. He never felt anything for butterflies or bees when they died. Yet he did for this creature. It intrigued him. Probably because it was the first non-esper, non-Crusader he had ever seen that he could read the thoughts of. Still, he marveled at the creature's ingenuity. It was remarkably intelligent…and it seemed to share much of the emotions of espers. Bahamut hadn't seen anything so remarkable since ever, be it evil or good.

While he was thinking, Wyvern suddenly leapt down from the rock cliff and landed in the white powder, right in front of the human. Bahamut snapped out of his thoughts and looked in shock at his movements. He was terrified, thinking the human would suddenly spring to life and cut off Wyvern's head. But it did nothing, only resumed dying. Wyvern went up close to it, and hovered his head over it. He sniffed the pale, blue body for a short while, and then snorted.

"Doesn't smell that tasty." Wyvern stated. Then, abruptly, he grinned at it. "Ha! Big mean human! You aren't so tough now! Come and get me!"

Bahamut winced, and instantly jumped down after his brother. "Would you stop it!" He called out, still whispering. "You might wake it up!"

Wyvern didn't answer, but reached his hand over and poked its pale body. "Aw man…this ain't nothing bad! It's skin's all thin and soft… It can't hear or see that good… Stupid human. Why'd you let them tie you to this tree anyway?"

"I told you, they're punishing him!" Bahamut answered. Yet even as he did so, he moved forward next to Wyvern's side, and looked down at the creature. He hesitated for a moment, blinking at it, and then shook his head. "Man…what a pity…"

Wyvern raised his head and looked puzzled. "Huh? What was that?"

"It's really an intelligent creature." Bahamut replied. "And it feels emotions like we do. It's too bad that it's going to die."

"Hey, weren't you the guy who said these things were evil?"

Bahamut hesitated a moment, and thought for a second or two. In all honestly, new thoughts had come up about that possibility. He frowned slightly, and then finally turned to Wyvern and shook his head. "You know…" He spoke out loud. "I'm not really sure anymore…"

Wyvern wrinkled his brow.

"I'm serious." Bahamut answered, staring at the creature. "It's really unusual… I can't see any overwhelming amount of evil in it. The most evil thing I saw was that Griever thing, if you ask me."  
Wyvern shrugged, and looked back to the creature.

Bahamut inhaled deeply and sighed. "I…I just wish I could talk to one…" He spoke out loud. "Maybe I can see why it likes evil so much, or what's so evil about it or this world. Who knows…maybe it's only because they huddle around that glowing stuff that they're called evil. They are smart… They could tell me so much about this world and about this Griever thing and about everything I don't understand…" Bahamut stopped a moment and sighed. "It doesn't really seem fair either. It only wanted to help the other humans. Now they have to kill it…" At that, Bahamut trailed off. A great longing and disappointment was in his eyes, regretting his inability to carry out his wishes and his regret that a perfectly good specimen of human had to be put to death here. He stood silently, and stared at it for a long time, not saying a word.

Wyvern also stared at it, and looked up to Bahamut. He saw the longing look in his eyes, and then regret. Then he turned back to the creature, and looked at it for a short moment. After a while longer, he suddenly smiled his mischevious look, and turned back to Bahamut.

"Alright then…" He spoke calmly. "Let's take it."

Bahamut's melancholy vanished, and he soon snapped back to reality and turned his head to Wyvern. "Pardon?"

Wyvern grinned and gestured to the human. "It's perfect. All of the humans want it gone anyway. Let's take it with us. You can ask it anything you want."

Bahamut's eyes widened. "What! Are you serious!"

Wyvern kept grinning. "Sure I am." He turned to the creature, and then went to the hard daisy chain against the tree. He grabbed it with one claw, and began to pull on it. It didn't give right away, but he continued to pull.

"We can't do that!" Bahamut exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"It's a human! It's…it's evil!"

Wyvern sighed and kept pulling. "You were the one who said you weren't sure anymore."

Bahamut hesitated…and then gasped. "Yeah…but…but…but I didn't think this one! I didn't think you were just going to take this human! I mean…that Griever thing thought it was evil…what if that pointy stick was evil? What if…"

"Aw, you're a wimp, Bahamut." Wyvern gave one mighty tug on the chain, and suddenly where it was fastened to the tree ripped out. The bonds that held the young human against the tree fell down, and the limp body collapsed to the ground. Wyvern reached down and grasped its head and pulled it up by it. Bahamut continued to look outraged at Wyvern. However, as he saw that the human was now free, and saw when it was being held badly, Bahamut couldn't help but wince and have a crisis of wills. He suddenly shot out and seized the human from his grasp by holding it around the waist.

"Be gentle with it!" Bahamut shrieked. "You'll kill it!"

Wyvern grinned back. "Same old Bahamut. You never change."

Bahamut merely frowned and lowered his gaze, muttering and turning a slight shade red. As he did, Wyvern motioned to the sky, and began to flap his wings immediately.

"Come on. That human won't last another hour out in this cold weather. We need to find someplace warm."

At that, Wyvern took to the sky. Bahamut hesitated a moment, and looked down to the human. It was true… Now that the thought had occurred to him to save the creature's life, he wasn't so eager to let it go again. With a sigh, he pressed it close to his own body in hopes of giving it more warmth, and then unfurled his own wings. He took to the sky as well, and soon joined Wyvern in mid-air. Wyvern smiled at him again, and then looked around a bit, now that they were both above the large plants. After a moment, his red brother saw a bit of rockier hills in the distance. He instantly thought that was a good bet. If they could get into a cave, then Wyvern and Bahamut's body heat would be conserved better, and make it warmer on all three of them. He motioned to Bahamut, and began to fly. Bahamut started to follow him, still holding the hides and the young human.

They didn't get far.

They had barely began to fly, when suddenly the ground began to quake. They didn't feel it this time. They _heard _it. A great rumbling came from below them, and all of the trees at once began to shudder. Both espers hesitated, and looked to each other in fear. For a moment, both of them were terrified. They thought they had broken some rule and should have let the young human die. In terror, they both swallowed, and turned their heads back to the ground, in particular back to the place where they had taken the young human down. The ground continued to shake as they did so, growing louder and fiercer.

A great ripping sound suddenly joined it, like a huge piece of rock was being shattered. Both espers looked to the source, right in front of the large trunk. To their shock, the ground itself was cracking open, and the crack was getting wider and wider. Both espers gasped, and went as silent as they could while maintaining their flight in mid-air. They saw the ground continue to crack, and a great swelling appeared from below it…as if something was coming out from underneath. They continued to stare and watch for a few moments, watching the ground continue to swell and crack. The shaking grew harder, and the sound grew louder and louder. Both began to sweat, and began to fear the absolute worst. Especially Bahamut…because for the first time he could sense a very potent evil coming…

Then, it came. Abruptly, a huge form burst out of the ground and landed on its feet. Both Bahamut and Wyvern were shocked and had to struggle not to gasp. The creature was hideous, looking like a large deformed mutant version of the humans. It had gray skin, was rippling with muscle, and had massive forearms and tiny legs. It had a totally bald head, which had great sharp teeth and burning red eyes. They were so obvious that even in the blackness a human would have been able to see them. The creature was brimming with evil and power alike. Bahamut could sense it almost dripping from the thing. He was instantly terrified.

The thing's mouth dripped with drool, and with a ravenous look it turned to the trunk of the large plant. However, the moment it did, it gasped and looked bewildered. It drew closer to the large plant, and began to look around it. But it saw nothing. After looking around for a while, it finally snarled. Then…the most startling thing of all happened.

It spoke in Bahamut and Wyvern's _language._

"Damn that Griever!" It hissed. "Where's the meat! Those stupid humans should have been able to drag its scrawny carcass out here by now! It's bad enough that I have to eat cold meat!" The creature hissed and fumed for a few moments longer, looking around in anger. Bahamut and Wyvern stared in surprise the whole time, but said nothing.

At last, the creature grumbled and looked back to the hole it had made. It began to walk back toward it, grumbling aloud all the way. "I got to have a word with Master Griever. When I'm sent out for a meal I expect my food to be practically frozen and waiting for me… Some damn wild animal better not have gotten the runt…" The creature reached the hole, and readily dropped into it. After it had done so, much to Bahamut and Wyvern's shock, the rumbling started again. But this time, the crack sealed itself back up in the ground, and the swelling went down once more. The rumbling went away rather than got closer, and within a few moments all was silent again. There was no sign of any damage at all left behind. The creature had left without a sign of having ever been there.

Both espers blinked in confusion, flapping in stunned silence.

"…What the heck was that!" Wyvern spoke after a moment.

"I…I think it was sent by Griever…to eat the human." Bahamut answered.

Wyvern grumbled. "Hmph… I guess they do taste good after all… Wonder if I should run back and grab me a few…"

At this, Bahamut whirled his head quickly to Wyvern. "There's something else." He told him darkly. "None of the humans thought that this human was going to be eaten. They thought that the shiny object, or something that looked like it, was going to come and take the human away. None of them ever thought that the creature would come and devour it. None of them have ever even seen that thing before."

Wyvern turned in puzzlement to this. "Huh? How's that possible? The thing called Griever its master."

Bahamut hesitated, a troubled look coming over his face. No…something was not right here. That didn't make sense. Something else had to be at work…but what? He had no idea. He had no idea what any of this meant. All he knew was that the first sensation of evil, the first thing that he knew was truly evil, was that creature, not a human. And that creature was working for Griever… All of the humans looked up to Griever…did that mean they were serving evil too? He didn't know. Too many questions, no answers.

"Let's just get out of here for now." Bahamut answered. "I don't want to be here when that thing comes back."

* * *

"What're you doing?"

Bahamut didn't answer right away. He merely extended another hide over the pale human's body. However, he figured that three was enough. Any more and it would seem overkill. Plus he was laying on the thicker hide of the tooth and claw creature. He set the other ones at the side. Now, the two espers and humans were safe in a cave. Wyvern had steered them right, taking them to a rocky chain of hills. It hadn't taken long to find a cave large enough for all of them. The enclosed area did trap in the heat of the two espers, and the room was growing warmer all the time. Bahamut was glad, for the human probably couldn't take another second out in the cold weather.

"They put these around their sick." Bahamut answered. "I think it helps keep them warm."

Wyvern thought a moment, then shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess."

"Still," Bahamut went on, stretching out next to the human as he did so. "I think it's best if it sleeps between the both of us. We're both big and warm."

Wyvern frowned and crossed his arms. "What if it wakes up in the middle of the night and eats our brains?"

"It won't." Bahamut answered. "It's too little."

"Fine." Wyvern grumbled, turning and beginning to lay down as well. "Don't blame me if you wake up and your brain got eaten."

Soon, both large espers were laying on other side of the human. Bahamut was glad for him already. His lips were turning less blue, and he stopped shivering. His heart was beating more strongly. Yes…the human would be fine. And tomorrow, he could ask it all sorts of things. But what he wanted to ask most of all, he realized as he lay down, was what exactly that thing was. How did that pertain to Griever? And what was Griever anyway? So many questions…so many things to learn about the new world. Bad or good, Bahamut could no longer deny his curiosity with it. It was growing every day, and was reaching an almost unbearable level. In the end, the only thing that managed to make him go to sleep was how tired he was. Otherwise, he might have stayed up all night, waiting for the human to awake, so he could start asking questions.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Can We Keep Him?

The boy drew in a deep breath. Strange…for the first time he could remember, he didn't wake up cold. He felt pleasant and warm, and the feeling nagged him to go back to sleep. However, his memory registered that he had already slept in several times, and he had to get up and help gather more food for his family. And so, he blinked a few times, and slowly opened his eyes.

As he did, his memory registered. Last night, he had been out hunting… Yes, he had decided to use the forbidden spear. He had too. His sister was sick…maybe dying. And somehow he talked his brother into helping him. He made the spear, his brother stabbed with it. But they found out. Of course, all of the village found out. They got him…they got both of them. They dragged them before Griever. They stood accused of their crimes. He let them keep the deer…but they had to be punished. Then his brother…

The boy suddenly sat up in a rush, now covered with sweat and his mind racing with fear. Now, all of the nightmare of last night came back. His brother was dead, and he had been issued as a sacrifice to Griever. That night, Griever was to come for his soul. And he couldn't remember anything after that… Was he dead then? Was he condemned? Where was he?

The boy realized he wasn't at the tree, first off. He was in some chamber made of rock…a cave or something. Right ahead of them, there was the opening. The gray morning was already shining out, and the cloudy sky was visible again. He could see the tops of trees as he looked out. Tops of trees? That had to mean he was high up…but high up where? Where was he? Was this the netherworld? Was this his horrible punishment, to be in this rock cave forever? What awaited him? It didn't look so bad…

The boy looked down to himself, and was shocked. He saw why he was warm. He was laying on a bear fur and was covered with three deer furs. His fear at incurring further wrath at the hand of Griever came up in an instant. He quickly scrambled off of the hide and threw the other hides off. The rock floor of the cave was cold, but it was better than the alternative. He breathed hard after doing so, and looked back up and around to see where he was again.

About that time, the boy realized that there was a large red scaly mass on his left side. Not only that…but it was warm…and it was moving slowly, like it was breathing. The boy swallowed, and turned his head to the other side. He gasped again…for there was a large blue scaly mass over there, also breathing. The boy gulped, and looked through the cave again. He was shocked once more. The masses were part of very large bodies of very large lizards. They had monstrous looking serpent faces with huge teeth poking out, and had massive forearms with cruel claws, giant wings, and large scaled tails. They were breathing slowly…but they were on either side.

The boy gasped and began to retreat for the back of the cave. He was trapped. This was his punishment, to be stuck in this cave with these two monsters for all eternity. They'd rip him apart, burn him, and devour his entrails forever and ever. The young man sweat terribly. He shuddered with fear. His pale naked body shrank against the wall and he looked out in terror as he cringed into a ball. Finally, unable to take his fear and pain anymore, he opened his mouth and screamed in fright as loud as he possibly could.

* * *

"AAAAAAH!"

Bahamut snorted, and opened his serpentine eyes. "Uh…?" He muttered, his wits sleepy.

Wyvern let out a large yawn. "Nah, mom…let me sleep in another hour…"

Bahamut blinked a few times as his memory registered. But then, all of his memories returned. They were in the dark world, in a cave, and they had a human with them. And he had just gone through a most miserable, cold, and rocky night. Human with them… That definitely wasn't Wyvern screaming. As the scream went out again, the esper perked up his head and wheeled it around to the source. He saw the pile of hides turned up, and that the human was quite awake and healthier looking. He was cringed against the back of the cave. Bahamut immediately turned back to Wyvern.

"Wake up!" He yelled at him. "The human's up!"

* * *

The boy continued to whine and shrink away as the hideous snake demon awoke its red companion. It let out a large yawn and grumbled something. The blue one said something back, and with a tired look the red one woke up. Both of them turned their heads toward the back of the cave. They gazed at him with their serpent eyes, and soon both of them rose on all four of their legs. They turned fully around and gazed to him. The boy gasped. They were going to rip him to pieces. They'd devour him. He hadn't a prayer. Terrified, he suddenly fell to his knees in front of them.

"P-p-please, demons of Griever! Please tell him I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! I'll burn…just go away!"

* * *

Wyvern frowned. "What's the thing babbling about now?"

"Something about Griever, and begging him to take him away from two rather fearsome monsters that look like nightmarish versions of us." Bahamut responded. "I guess it's safe to say they've never seen things like us before."

Wyvern snarled, barring his teeth. He shot his head over to the human's and snapped at it angrily. "Shut up, you dumb critter! You're voice is obnoxious! We're not here to eat you!"

* * *

The boy turned his head away and cried out loud as the red creature bellowed at it, showing all of its razor sharp teeth and beating down on him with its fiery breath. He couldn't take it. He had never been so scared in his entire life. He only got more scared when the blue one began to bellow at the red one. The red one angrily roared back, and all of it was too much for the child. He couldn't take it. He began to hyperventilate…and lose control.

* * *

"You're scaring the heck out of-"

"What the heck is it doing now?"

Bahamut cut off his tongue lashing, and turned his head toward where Wyvern was looking. The young human, in the midst of shivering like a leaf and trying desperately to shield itself, now had a liquid coming out of a small organ in its groin area. Wyvern scratched his head.

"Is that a defense mechanism?"

"I…uh…think it's so scared it wet itself." Bahamut replied with a blush.

Wyvern rolled his eyes. "We're not getting anywhere."

Bahamut groaned. "I was trying to tell you…if you just let me do something for a moment and read his mind, try to get an association between his words and his thoughts, I might be able to learn his language."

"Well don't just stand there, do it!" Wyvern snapped back.

Bahamut sighed, and looked back to the young human. He was still recoiling from him, offering no resistance. The esper sighed, thinking that it was going to urinate again if he tried to touch it. But he had no choice. He could penetrate into minds only when having physical contact. He would just have to try and stop the feeble little creature from doing anything to him. Finally, he reached forward and clenched the young human's head with one claw. The young human panted and shook more fiercer than ever. But Bahamut closed his own eyes and focused, penetrating deep into the young human's mind…dipping into its reserves…all of its libraries of knowledge…all of what it knew about language, how to talk, and what its words meant…

* * *

The boy knew he was doomed. The creature had him by the head. It'd rip it off or eat it soon. He was finished. He couldn't do anything else.

But then, most suddenly…the thing let his head go. He continued to cringe, however, not moving and keeping tucking in a small ball. He wouldn't turn to him in the least or look anymore at the demon things. But then…he suddenly heard something, in a powerful voice.

"We're not going to hurt you. We're not monsters."

At that, the boy blinked, and suddenly opened his eyes. Who had said that? He turned his head, and looked to where the demons were. They were still there, and still looked huge, fearsome, and terrible. But the blue one was staring right at him, and yet was doing nothing. There was no one else there. Who else could have spoke to him? The boy swallowed, and spoke to him.

"Uh…are you…talking to me?"

"Yes." The blue one answered.

The boy recoiled at this, frightened once again. But the blue one continued to stare at him calmly, not looking offensive or dangerous, despite its frightening appearance and huge body. The young man swallowed, and after a moment was able to lean a bit closer. "So…so Griever…forgives me then?" He asked in puzzlement.

To this, the blue one looked confused and uneasy. The red one snorted and roared something. The blue one whirled its head to him and snapped a bit, then turned back to the boy. The sudden change of tone made him recoil again, but the blue one spoke in a slow and calm voice again, trying to reassure him it seemed. "We're…we're not with Griever. It's a long story of what happened last night. But in short, we took you off of the tree you were on. You aren't going to die."

The boy blinked at this for a moment. He wasn't going to die? These creatures took him off the tree? Suddenly…fear jumped into his mind. He hadn't been sacrificed after all. He was still alive. These creatures had picked him up. But if he was alive…that meant his village was doomed to destruction. He had never been sacrificed! Terror gripped the young man's soul. He winced, and his eyes began to fill with tears. He feared for his mom, his dad, his sister…all of them were going to die just like his brother! His heart was full of terror, and he began to cry loudly. He fell to the ground and buried his face against it, weeping out loud.

* * *

"Oh…now what!" Wyvern snapped viciously.

"Hush!" Bahamut answered sharply. "I'll try to find out!"

Bahamut turned and went back to the young human, and began to speak in its babbling language again. Wyvern sighed and waited. He had to figure out how to do the mind reading as well. If he didn't, he'd never get to learn the creature's language. Like it or not, the mystery was keeping him intrigued in the matter as well. At any rate, the young human cried for a long time before he managed to halfway look up and start rattling off gibberish to Bahamut. Bahamut himself seemed to have a hard time understanding it, and talked to the young human again several times. Each time, the human responded. But it still took a few minutes of talking to him before Wyvern finally got some answers. Bahamut finally turned away from him, leaving him to cry, and looked to Wyvern.

"He's sad because he thinks that his parents and family are going to die." He told the fellow esper. "According to the rules of their village, where they were living last night, if someone breaks the rules and Griever says they have to be sacrificed, they have to be put against that tree and wait for Griever to come for them. Only then will the village be spared."

Wyvern looked puzzled at that. "Who is Griever anyway? And what does he have to do with that thing that came to eat the runt last night?"

Bahamut hesitated a moment, but then shrugged. "I guess I'll ask him." With that, he turned back to the boy.

* * *

"Excuse me…but who is Griever?"

The boy continued to cry for a short moment, but then suddenly ceased. That had been the dumbest thing he had ever heard. He thought everyone in the world knew who Griever was. He raised his gaze and looked to the monstrous creature, but he looked just as innocent as ever. The boy scratched his head a little, and for the moment forgot about all the terror that awaited him and his family.

"You don't know of Griever?" He asked.

The beast shook its head. "No. Could you tell me?"

The boy blinked, and scratched his head. "You have to be pretty dumb not to know about Griever… But sure. I can tell you about him.

"Griever's our ruler. He reigns over us and protects us. He drives away wild animals that come to eat us, gives us fire so that we can stay warm, and shows us where to hunt for animals. Everyone looks to him for blessings and help. He knows a whole lot, and he shows us how we're supposed to avoid evil."

"Fire…that glowing stuff on those dead pieces of big grass?" The blue thing asked.

The boy looked even more puzzled than before. Everyone knew what trees and fire were, right? "Uh…yeah…" He slowly answered.

"So…you humans need to be told how to avoid evil?" Bahamut asked.

"Oh yes." The boy readily answered. "That's what Griever tells us."

"How do you?"

"Well, you can't wear clothes for one thing." The boy answered. "Those are forbidden. They make you less dependant on nature. And most people aren't allowed to have hides either. I know I'm not…" Here, he bristled a little bit, and grew nervous. But he toughened on. "It's horrible to wear the skin of other living things. That's why only the sick can. You can't make your own fires either. Otherwise you'll destroy the world with them. Only Griever can make fires that don't burn down the wholeforest as well. Also, you're not supposed to help out younger or weaker people. If you do, that will make the whole human race weak. Only the strong must survive. You can't use tools, because that's oppressing nature for personal gain. And you aren't allowed to have more than three deer on a hunt." The boy hesitated a moment, and remembered again his own violations of Griever's law. He turned his head down and began to look regretful. "I…I broke the rules when I made that spear…"

"Spear? That's one of those sticks with a rock tied to it, right?"

"Uh-huh… The village had to put me to sacrifice…or they'd be destroyed…"

The blue one focused on the boy longer, but he no longer noticed. He bowed his head, beginning to think again of the terrible fate that had taken place. By now, Griever had to already have destroyed his entire village. All of his family members…all of his friends…all gone. It broke his heart, and he began to cry again. But then again, now that he thought of it…Griever had been merciful last night. That's why he didn't destroy the entire village at once. As the blue one turned and began to roar at the red one, he began to feel a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Griever wouldn't destroy the village. Perhaps he only wanted to work vengeance on him. But if he did…the boy realized in terror…then he was going to die even more horrible than before...and receive a far worse punishment for eternity than two demons devouring him forever. The boy couldn't take it. He shook, and began to cry loudly.

* * *

Wyvern frowned, seeing the young human after Bahamut finished explaining what he had said. "Sure cries a lot, doesn't it?"

Bahamut frowned at him. "The poor creature's terrified. And I'd be too if I was living under the oppression of that thing."

Wyvern looked to Bahamut with puzzlement. "How do you know they don't deserve it? They are supposed to be evil."

But Bahamut would hear no more about it. "I believe now…no, I'm sure…that the humans aren't what is evil here. It has to be that Griever fellow. Why else would he hang around with such an evil thing as his minion? This boy has evil just like you and me in his heart, but his heart is mostly pure. He never thought of himself or anything evil when he did what he did."

Wyvern still wasn't convinced. "Maybe you're just being the devil's advocate. Look, that Griever guy just might be giving them what they're punishment should be for doing evil things."

Bahamut didn't give in so easily. "I don't think so. Odin and Starlet wear clothes and have tools. We can pick flowers and eat honey and nectar without end, and Crusader never yells at any of us." The blue esper frowned. "I think it's Griever who is the evil one. Maybe he is the nanny for this world, and that's why all of the humans have to follow such bad rules."

Wyvern thought about this for a short while. It seemed somewhat possible to him. After all, they only had one rule where they lived. They had broken it, and they weren't being hounded by large creatures. This Griever person was the ruler of this world. Crusader had said that she was the ruler of Ultima Nexus. Perhaps Bahamut was right. Maybe Griever was the only thing that made this world evil. Perhaps Crusader only thought the humans were evil because they had to do everything Griever, an evil person, said to them. Wyvern thought for a moment longer, and then finally nodded.

"You could be right, Bahamut. But what difference does that make?"

Bahamut sighed and turned his head back to the human. He was still sniffling and sobbing on the ground. The blue esper heaved a large sigh when he saw him, remorse and trouble welling up in his eyes. "It's not right." He stated. "The poor human… He has to live in all this fear and terror just because he lives in this dark world. Look how sick and pale he looks."

Wyvern looked to him. Sure enough, the human did look pretty pathetic. He stared at him for a short while, and thought for a moment. He sighed. Yeah…he had to admit, he felt a little sorry for the poor creature too. Wyvern remembered what it was like to be bullied by bigger kids, or to be dragged underwater by Leviathan or Ogopogo. Only this creature had to endure it and face horrible consequences if he didn't, horrible deaths…or being eaten by that monster. It was pretty bad. And, despite his own reservations, the thing was kind of a cute little critter. It looked so miserable and unhealthy, and Wyvern couldn't blame it, if it lived in this dark world. If it lived up above, it would be strong and vibrant and-

Suddenly, a wily grin spread across Wyvern's face. Another idea entered his head.

Bahamut saw this in the corner of his eye, and turned his head with a great look of worry to Wyvern. "You've got that crazy look in your eye again."

Wyvern grinned and turned his head toward Bahamut. "I've just had a superb idea."

"What?"

"How would you like your very own pet human?"

Bahamut and Wyvern both stared silently at each other. Both of them slowly turned their heads out and looked to the boy. He was still sniffling and looking scared, but he looked up now as both of the creatures stared at him. Both of them slowly turned back and looked to each other. Wyvern kept grinning, and Bahamut slowly shook his head.

"No."

"Yes."

"No…"

"Yes."

_"No!"_

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"We could never keep this human in Ultima Nexus!" Bahamut cried. "Crusader would never let us!"

"Crusader doesn't have to know, Big B." Wyvern simply replied. "He's so small he could be tucked in any corner. Crusader doesn't even look in half the places we could stick him, and she comes around so infrequently now that it'd be no problem."

"Not in a million years!" Bahamut shot back.

"Aw, come on!" Wyvern exclaimed. "You want that little human more than me. He'll be a great hit. All of the espers will like him. Heck, Phoenix and Starlet already make pets out of the bees and butterflies. Imagine how they'd like this thing!"

"No, Wyvern!"

Wyvern merely grinned and slid in closer to Bahamut. "Aw…come on, brother of mine… Look at him…" Here, he motioned to the boy, and Bahamut looked. "All cold and naked and alone…nobody loves him…most people want him dead… And you know, if he stays, he'll just be found by that Griever character. You wanted a human so badly to begin with… Now you can really have one…"

Bahamut hesitated a moment. Wyvern was right. The human couldn't stay here. He'd never last one day out on his own, without that substance called fire to keep him warm or any warm clothes or tools. And what about that monster they saw last night? It'd be looking for him too. He wasn't safe as long as it was around, or Griever for that matter. The boy was already scared out of his mind. And he was so little and weak and all alone… He looked so hungry and helpless… Bahamut couldn't deny the growing attraction toward the creature, an animal whose intellect matched its strange physical makeup in the virtue of intriguing. Perhaps…perhaps he could even teach the creature things. And there was so much more that the human could teach him…

It was risky. It was nuts. It was a danger. But nevertheless…Bahamut was willing to take the chance. He knew the human would be happy in Ultima Nexus. He'd love it there, just as all the espers did. He'd never be cold or hungry again. At last, he turned to Wyvern and sighed.

"I'll ask him."

* * *

The blue creature turned back to the boy, and began to approach him. The young man kept crying a bit, but managed to dry his tears and stand up in front of the huge beast. It stepped closer to him, and lowered his head slightly. The boy wasn't so afraid of it anymore. It didn't look mean. It had meant well trying to take him off the tree.

"Human…" The creature addressed. "I have something to tell you. How would you like to be in a world without Griever?"

The boy blinked at that, and shook his head. "Oh, that's not possible. Griever is everywhere."

"We come from a land that Griever doesn't live in."

The young man was very amazed to hear this, and was taken aback for a moment. But after a short moment, he shook his head. "No…you're lying. There is no such land."

"There is." The blue creature responded. "We come from it. That's why I asked you about Griever. We come from a world where there is no Griever, and no rules about clothes or tools or anything else. There's plenty to eat there, and it's always warm. And most of all, Griever will never find you."

The boy blinked his eyes for a moment, staring at the beast. But then, he frowned. "You're a liar." He stated firmly. "There's no such place."

The creature sighed, and kept talking. "Human…you're scared of what will happen if Griever finds you, right? If you were to come to the place where we come from, Griever would never find you. I swear."

The young human hesitated at that. It had to be a joke, or a fib. These creatures had to try and be kidding with him. Yet as he heard them, he realized how sincere the beast sounded. What more, they did honestly not seem to know about Griever. Why wouldn't they unless they came from a land without him? That possibility entered the boy's mind, and he grew a bit curious, perhaps even a bit hopeful. Perhaps…if he was to leave…Griever would never find him. He might even think he was dead. The boy quickly silenced such thoughts, thinking he was bringing worse doom onto himself by thinking them. Yet the seed had been planted now, and he couldn't resist the possibility. Maybe…if he just disappeared…if he went to the world without Griever…Griever would think he was gone, and wouldn't take it out on his family or village either. Perhaps…there was a way for him to live through this.

"There is a condition though." The beast continued. "We can take you to this world, and you'll be safe there. But you won't be able to come back for a while…maybe ever. Even knowing that, would you still like to go? I swear there is such a place, but you have to decide whether or not you want to come."

The young man hesitated a moment. These beasts were rather monstrous and fearsome. He had only met them a short while ago, and they had broken a lot of rules last night in getting him. But as near as the boy could tell…there was no rule about leaving the world. Still…he had to think hard. He would never see his mom and dad or sister again… But then again, they already thought he was gone, and he'd make it worse on all of them if he came back. And where else did he have to go? He could wander around on this world…face the judgment of Griever eventually…after he died or was eaten by creatures. Would it be really that much worse to go to somewhere else? It was folly to think Griever wasn't everywhere…but perhaps…well…regardless of whether he stayed or went, he was stuck. And there was no rule against going to another world. The decision was made. The boy had something to lose either way…but only a slim, impossible, dream of a chance of gain one way. He feared he made the wrong choice, but finally managed to speak.

"…All right."

The blue beast seemed rather pleased at this. He grinned a toothy smile at him, and bowed his head a bit to him. "I'm Bahamut. This is my brother, Wyvern. He doesn't know how to speak your language, but he will soon. What's your name?"

The boy hesitated, hoping he hadn't made the wrong choice. But then, he bolstered his courage and spoke again. "I'm…I'm Palad."

"Ok, Palad. We're going to your new home."

* * *

The day was once again gray, but much brighter and warmer compared to last night.Now thathe knew something about the dark world and had a new pet, Bahamut was overjoyed. He had to restrain from doing any flying tricks in the air, however…because now he had a passenger. Luckily, Palad wasn't much weight, if anything. The boy was wrapped in the tooth and claw hide and pressed close to Bahamut's chest to avoid the frigid winds of the dark world. He still looked uneasy about wearing any type of clothing, and he hid his face in terror from watching the flight. He tried to grasp on with an iron grip to Bahamut, but it made no difference. Bahamut had him secure.

Wyvern flew nearby, a little bit upset that he now had to carry all of the hides of the creatures called deer (That was what humans called human food). But Bahamut wanted to bring them. The human boy would probably have the same needs as Starlet and Odin, which meant he'd need clothes and a place to sleep. Bahamut could hardly wait to get start making it. He marveled at the thought of how the young man would react to everything. He wanted to relish every moment of it. He only hoped the boy could survive the trip. They were getting very high now, and not only was there a lack of heat, but a lack of oxygen. However, his heart was still beating plenty strong against Bahamut's chest. He was hanging in there.

They had been flying for a few hours now, back the way they had come. Between the two of them, they had an excellent sense of direction. Sure enough, at this point, Bahamut began to see the hole in the clouds above, the portal that they had entered through last time. Bahamut pressed the boy closer against his body. He wouldn't for the world lose him now. With that, both he and Wyvern began their ascent into the clouds.

"Hold on tight, Palad. We're nearly there."

The boy did as he was told, as if he could hold on even harder than he was already. The two espers continued to climb, up and up into the air. The sea and the land below grew smaller and smaller as they entered the range of the sky. They continued to climb, higher and higher. Bahamut had to pump his wings rather hard to keep them going, but he had the strength. He felt fortified from all the eating and sleeping, and he could do it. Wyvern flanked to his side, and they two of them drew closer and closer. They saw the sky beginning to swirl above them, indicating the portal, and saw the hole in the center of it. They continued to fly higher and higher, and at last went into the hole in the center.

_Ultima Nexus…here we come!_

A tunnel of wind was soon pressing down on both Bahamut and Wyvern. However, the pressure lessened, and the oxygen increased the moment they entered the tunnel. So both of them pumped their wings harder and continued to climb. They parted through the clouds, and entered into the blackness of the interior. Winds rushed around them invisibly, rustling them all over, as they pushed on higher and higher into the sky. Bahamut and Wyvern didn't give up. They continued to rise, knowing what awaited them on the other side. It took a long time for it to happen at last, but still it seemed faster than the first descent that Bahamut had made. Light began to emerge again after a short while, and soon the clouds began to surround them again too. Bahamut and Wyvern, now grinning, continued to fly a bit higher, pumping themselves more into the sky. Finally, at long last, they parted a circle of rock, and broke out of the tunnel of wind. Once again, they found themselves in regular air, and they were surrounded by rocky mountains under a dark sky.

"We're home!" Wyvern cried triumphantly.

Not scared at all anymore, the twin espers soared right over the mountain range and went to the other side. The clouds broke up, the cold weather vanished, and soon the sun was beating down nice warm rays. All was light again, so much brighter than the world below. Palad clung to Bahamut a bit longer, but then suddenly felt the warmth and the light. He pushed away from him for a moment, and looked to the clear blue sky with the yellow sun. He stared a moment, then suddenly cried out and hid his gaze.

"Ow!" He cried. "What's that thing in the sky? It hurt my eyes!"

Bahamutlooked puzzled. "What? The sun? Haven't you ever seen it before?"

"I don't even know what a sun is." Palad replied, rubbing his eyes.

Bahamut seemed a bit unnerved at that. How could Palad not know what the sun was…unless he had never seen it before? Was the world he came from really so bleak that the sun never even shone? He didn't know, but he merely swallowed and continued to fly.

Just ahead, Wyvern and Bahamut began to see something. There were multicolor shapes standing on one of the wide, grassy regions of Ultima Nexus. As they drew closer, they saw who it was. Phoenix, Starlet, Leviathan, and Ogopogo were all on the ground. Bahamut was instantly surprised, amazed that even Leviathan and Ogopogo would come out. They were all staring in awe and wonder of something. As the two espers continued to look, they saw what it was in amazement. Odin was out, but he wasn't alone anymore. A small, six legged, strange looking bluish-gray creature was with him, and he was on top of it and riding it around the area. Everyone was totally amazed at the sight, and Bahamut and Wyvern were likewise amazed as well. Seeing as they were going to introduce Palad to the others anyway, they looked to each other, nodded, and then dove down toward the ground where the others were.

In a moment, both of them had landed. Bahamut kept Palad relatively obscured, and Wyvern immediately dropped the deer hides. However, no one seemed to notice that much right away. The four, nevertheless, turned to them and frowned.

"Where in the world have you two troublemakers been?" Starlet scolded.

"Probably making more trouble, as always." Leviathan spoke with a smug look.

"Yeah, as always." Ogopogo echoed.

"Where were you guys last night anyway?" Phoenix asked.

"Gosh, I didn't know you cared." Wyvern spoke slyly in response.

"What's up?" Bahamut asked.

Starlet grinned, and indicated toward Odin. The dark esper was still riding around, still on that strange bluish-gray creature that had some sort of strange thing on top of it that Odin sat on. The esper said nothing, just ran around on the creature with a confident look. "Check it out… Before Crusader left, Odin got a new gift because he was finally old enough. It's called a horse."

"Its _name _is Slepnir." Odin coldly responded, sounding a bit insulted by that. As he said this, he pulled up his steed toward the others. Once there, he pulled the reins to a halt, and then quickly leapt off the side of the creature. He patted it on the neck afterward, and after snorting and whining a little, the creature turned and ran off toward the rest of the valleys and hills. "He'll answer only to me. He can do anything." Odin continued. "He can jump across the entire length of Ultima Nexus, jump higher than either of you can fly." Here, he indicated to Wyvern and Bahamut, the former of which frowned. "And he's faster than all of you put together. Only I get him, because I'm the warrior esper."

"What's a warrior?" Phoenix asked in puzzlement.

Odin merely groaned, and rolled his eyes at the bird esper. Phoenix innocently shrugged her arms in response. Bahamut and Wyvern didn't need to be psychics to realize that Odin must have been the talk of the town yesterday into today. All of the other espers marveled at him, or more specifically his horse Slepnir. However, Wyvern had a confident look when he heard this. He held up a claw and waved it at Odin.

"Hmph…well, your little horse is all fine and dandy. But look what we brought here."

With that, he turned to Bahamut. His brother, smiling in response, removed his arms from his body, revealing fully Palad. He set him down on the ground, and the nervous human immediately looked around with a mixture of fear and tension at all of the espers surrounding him. Only two of them looked human, but even they were giants for the human race. A multitude of gasps instantly went out from all of the espers. Even Odin turned a puzzled eyebrow at the creature, especially when he noticed how much it looked like him. Palad swallowed and trembled in the middle of them.

"Wow…" Leviathan couldn't help but exclaim. He lowered his head closer to the young human, who in return shrank away in fear. "What…is it?"

"It's a human." Wyvern proudly replied. "Our new pet human. And this pet, _everyone _gets to use." Here, he turned an especially dangerous look to Odin. The dark esper merely stared silently back.

Starlet stepped forward. She looked totally captivated by the creature, especially how close it looked like to her. She easily stood twice as tall as him, but she bent over and marveled at him none the less. He looked up in a bit of fear toward her, but still preferred her to everyone else, even though she was wearing clothes and looked rather powerful.

"Oh…he's adorable!" Starlet cooed. "He is sooo cute! Do we really get to keep him?"

"Of course." Wyvern smugly answered.

Odin crossed his arms and glared at the creature. "Hmph." He snorted. "Where did you find it, or did Crusader give it to you?"

Wyvern began to pale at that, and swallowed a lump in his throat. Desperate to change the subject, Bahamut quickly spoke up. "Er, uh…anyway…his name is Palad. He's a male human, a young one actually. He doesn't speak our language. I managed to learn his from mind reading, but it'll take a while to teach the rest of you that language."

Leviathan perked his head up at this. "Mind reading? Your mind-reading trick actually enabled you to learn the creature's language?"

Bahamut proudly nodded. "Of course."

Leviathan blinked, and looked back down. Bahamut might not have known it, but Leviathan actually was also a pursuer of knowledge. Until now, he had thought of Bahamut as being little more than a fool, no matter his pursuits. But once he heard that his one mind trick had enabled him to master the language of another creature, the esper was not so sure. His mind would be more calculating and considerable from now on.

* * *

Palad looked about in fear. There were bigger snakes now…and a monstrous looking human, and a nice-looking yet-clothed human…and a big bird that looked like it was made of fire. This place was full of all sorts of giant monsters. He was rather terrified, and wondered if Griever was going to come after him in this place after all. They were saying all sorts of things that he couldn't understand right now, so he looked about merely in unknowing fear. But still…it did feel rather warm here…and the grass was soft for his feet. It wasn't so bad…

Finally, Bahamut turned to him. "Palad," He spoke in his own language. "Let me introduce you to my brothers and sisters. That's Starlet, and she really likes you. That Phoenix…Leviathan…Ogopogo…and that big one is Odin. They don't know your language yet, but they'll know it soon."

After this, Bahamut turned and began to babble a little bit with the others once again. All of them spoke for a few short moments. Bahamut was right about Starlet, however. She spoke to him in a nice voice. Despite being so scared and confused, Starlet's voice soothed him. Just hearing her tone, though he couldn't understand it, made him feel more relaxed and at ease. No matter what she said, everything always seemed to say underneath, "everything's going to be alright". At the very end, Starlet turned her head back to him, bent down, and smile.

"Hel…lo…Palad…" She managed to slowly say.

Palad swallowed, but managed a weak and nervous smile. "Uh…hello."

Starlet put a hand to her mouth and instantly giggled, seeming overjoyed at having managed to speak to him. Palad swallowed a bit as well, uneasy about this reaction. However, the laughter did help him to ease up somewhat, and stave away his fears a little. At length, he managed a small smile, and did so to all the people surrounding him.

Well…it looked like he was one of the family too now.

* * *

To be continued...


	6. Homecoming

_Two Years Later_

Amazingly…Bahamut's best hopes regarding Palad came true.

The boy was nervous and uneasy when he first arrived. He had trouble eating, sleeping, or being happy. He was lost in a world where no one understood him, that was different even if it was pleasant, and was full of strangers. What more, he had to fear for his life from Griever still, and he kept having nightmares and thinking that he would come for him. In this respect, Starlet soon became one of his best friends. The most soothing and reconciling out of all of them, she alone was able to help him relax and go to sleep some nights, or coax him into eating. Of course, he still had some ambivalence to her too, as she insisted on giving him a bath the day he arrived.

There had been their share of problems too in the first two days. Bahamut and Wyvern were finally forced to tell the truth about Palad, and how they had gotten him. Though none of the other five had ever heard that humans were supposed to be the innate evil creatures of the dark world, they wanted little to do with that place. However, by staving off the moment of telling the truth, Bahamut showed prudence. In that time, Starlet and Phoenix had already become firmly attached to Palad, and refused to let him go back. Remarkably enough, Leviathan also came to their aide. He wanted to observe the human as well. Ogopogo, always Leviathan's shadow, immediately agreed as well. That left the only one who wanted him to go Odin, who was forced to go with the others. After that, the seven entered into a conspiracy to keep their human a secret. It was largely successful. Still, Bahamut and Wyvern were afraid that Odin would cause trouble for them. But even with his mount Slepnir upstaged, Odin too, in his own dark and serious way, showed his affection for the human. Bahamut was amazed at it. It seemed it was almost innate for all of the espers to be fascinated by humans.

Soon, the entire esper community was going crazy over the new human. Each one had their own task they loved to do with it. Starlet and Phoenix handled the clothing for it, with Phoenix using her talons to slice the hides up and Starlet using smaller strips of the hide to knit them together. After starting with a temporary loincloth, they had given the young human a jerkin and pants, and even some leather boots. They used most of the rest to give him a bedroll of sorts, as he might have to change his sleeping pattern frequently. Once they managed to learn enough of the human's language, Starlet began to lecture Palad on proper sanitation and manners, especially when she noticed his own atrocious grooming habits. She also enjoyed drawing him into her little games that she played with Phoenix. As for Phoenix herself, Palad gradually grew to admire the pretty colors and feathers of the esper, and she felt proud because of that. She showed Palad all of the combinations of flowers up in Ultima Nexus that would produce different medicinal effects, and eventually made a brooch of her own feathers for Palad to wear in his hair, which Starlet had conveniently tied back and washed.

Leviathan and Ogopogo, normally silent loners, blossomed in front of the human. They taught him how to swim, a first for the two of them. It turned out that for creatures that lived on land, they had to raise their head out of the water and breathe air occasionally. Also, Leviathan showed an affection for how his world was like just as much as Bahamut did. He asked him constant questions while he played with Ogopogo's coils, and the young man spent about as much time playing as talking to him, if not less. Leviathan had been the first one to learn Palad's language, other than Bahamut. Bahamut, who before had been on fairly quiet terms with his serpent brother, now couldn't get him to stop asking questions about every last word he knew. What more, Leviathan would frequently coil onto a rock and would seem to sleep, but Bahamut knew that he was in reality meditating as well, trying to develop his own mental abilities.

Bahamut and Wyvern were quite inquisitive as well, but the latter of the two was far more rambunctious. He played with the young human a lot, pretending to be a big savage tooth and claw, something that Palad called a bear, and having the young human pretend to kill him. Also, the boy seemed to like flying as much as they did, and over time grew bold enough to grab onto their backs as they soared in the air. Despite Starlet's doting, the young human seemed to trust and like the two flying espers more than any of the others over time.

Then there was Odin. Despite his cold opposition to keeping a creature from the dark world, and his initial distrust of the human, he too began to "play" with the creature. However, it wasn't in the same way as the others. Odin made a rough axe out of stone and gave it to Palad. The young man was uneasy about owning a tool at first, but did better over time. Odin frequently taught the young man how to fight, getting into play battles with him using his own huge sword. All the time, Odin threatened the young man to give his best shot or pay the price. However, Bahamut knew better. Although Odin was more than a match for the weakling human, Palad frequently seemed to "outdo" the strong esper. When Palad asked one day if he could ride Slepnir, a request that Odin would have lashed out if asked by an esper, the dark esper blushed in anxiety for a moment before regretfully saying Slepnir would throw him off. Cold as he was, and as much as he would deny it, Odin cared about the human as much as they did.

Crusader never suspected a thing. Most of the time when Crusader was around, Palad stayed in Odin's cave. Seeing as Crusader was more of an occasional supervisor, it was easy to keep him in there for just a few hours then let him out again. The closest he had come to being spotted was when all of the espers were gathered around the lake, celebrating Palad's first year with them. Crusader dropped in, and Leviathan quickly coiled around Palad until he was completely invisible to their matron. However, most of the time he was hid well, and Crusader never even thought they could be hiding something from her. As she left for greater lengths of time, Palad had more free reign with the rest of the espers.

Palad himself did great eventually. Now in a warm environment with plenty of room to run about, his health improved greatly. Feeding on the honey and nectar that the espers ate did help him incredibly, and his skin and hair turned as healthy as Starlet's and Odin's. His body became more meaty and strong, and his speed, agility, and strength increased dramatically. His initial eternal nervousness disappeared, and now he was bold, jovial, and even a slight bit adventurous with his new-found family. He grew from being ashamed of his new possessions to being thankful and proud of them. His constant terror of Griever vanished almost entirely, until he barely said anything about him anymore.

That was probably the best years of Bahamut's life in Ultima Nexus. Every day the young human grew stronger and more fascinating. And he did at last what the other espers couldn't do on their own, served as a basis to unite them. Crusader was very pleased with this unexpected turn of emotion, typically, but so was Bahamut. Nobody was an enemy or at odds with one another. Everyone had become more open in some regard. Life was very happy, and times were good. There was never a minute that passed that the espers didn't grow more kindly disposed to the human, and all was right with the world.

* * *

"Ha-ha! Come on! Go higher!"

"Higher? Heh! You're so light I expected you to soar off my back a long time ago!"

Bahamut raised his head up and gazed from his small cliff. He smiled again at this sight, though he had seen it before. He had Palad on his back frequently and flew around. However, he talked to him most of the time, and he never risked flying nearly as high as Wyvern did. But, he had learned to deal with it for the time being, and looked after the two of them with hopes that they wouldn't do something stupid.

Bahamut had learned a lot from Palad until now. The young human had said much about the world below. Just a few things were that the big lake was actually the ocean, and that the tall plants were all trees. Normally, a fire had to be started on them or something that would burn, and fire itself was not evil. It gave warmth and heat, and it was better to burn meat and then eat it rather than eat it raw. At least, for humans it was. Bahamut thought deer tasted fine on their own. Only Griever could make fire. After it was made, it would continue if it was placed on another branch that hadn't burned yet. However, Bahamut wasn't thinking nearly so much about basic things like that anymore. He thought more about social structure of these humans.

They had parents, unlike the espers. Apparently, two of them had to engage in some complicated biological ritual. Once they did, the female would have young that it would eventually produce out of its body. After it did, the life form would grow and eventually would mature into a full grown human. Palad was still in the process of maturing himself. The humans lived together in large groups. They had to for warmth and for the added ability for hunting. However, they showed no partiality toward old or young, letting them all fend for themselves equally. Bahamut was puzzled by that. Crusader had always told them not to pick on weaker creatures, and to look out for each other. What Palad said seemed to be a contradiction.

The humans were largely dependant on Griever. They were not allowed to make tools ever, or to do anything much more than eat, sleep, huddle together, and listen to Griever. They could play, but they didn't have time, and in a hostile environment like that it wasn't much good to. Most of the year it was cold, but Palad said that around this time of year it was warmer, and the snow, the white powder, finally melted. He had indeed never seen the sun. No human had, either the sun, the moon, or the stars. All they saw was the cloud cover always. Most of time it snowed, but sometimes it rained during the warmer part of the year. Then, big bolts of light would crash in the sky. Occasionally, those would cause a fire too. But those weren't good fires. They would burn down most of the forest, and usually killed several humans. They were usually thought to be punishments by Griever, or simply something bad that happened.

The humans lived off of whatever edible plants they could find, which weren't many, and deer. There was never enough to satisfy hunger. One of the reasons Palad had become so fast and strong was because he finally felt neither hungry nor weak. Humans died frequently, so in order to keep them going they had to have children frequently as well. There were only few human gatherings in the world, and Griever made sure they didn't interact. They were always centered around the statue, the shiny object, of Griever. Those statues hadn't been made by nature, however. They had simply always been there for as long as anyone could remember.

All of this, however, left one large question in Bahamut's mind. While he was plenty concerned about this dark world and what the humans and Griever had to do with it, he thought also about that spear that Palad had used two years ago. From his own experience, Palad, while an intelligent little lad, lacked the intelligence to have made such a thing on his own. He never said that spears were forbidden, but tools. And it seemed kind of stupid that Griever would show them how to make a spear, then say not to make it. Seeing as it was so foreign and unknown to everyone else in his group, Bahamut began to wonder how Palad had learned how to build it in the first place. He had begun to even ponder the possibility that he hadn't learned it himself at all…but that someone had shown him.

Bahamut was thinking of this possibility again this day. It was another day without Crusader, and the espers were out again. Ogopogo and Leviathan were actually out now too, out of the water, that was. They rarely did so before Palad arrived, but did so freely now. They slithered around and chattered with Starlet. Starlet, on her part, was saying something to Leviathan that was turning the blue beast red. Phoenix was grooming herself up above on one of the higher heights, and Odin had retreated into his cave to train again that morning, with Slepnir with him. Wyvern and Palad were soaring high in the sky, but Bahamut knew they wouldn't be up there much longer. Palad got light headed when they did. Once he got down, he would resolve the issue at last.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes in the sky, Wyvern made for the ground. Bahamut groaned when it was in a dive, making Palad grab and hold on tight as he fell. However, the human seemed to like it, calling out in a bright laugh as they dove down. They went down and down, right for Bahamut's location. Then, finally, at the last moment, Wyvern swept around and down to turn his feet against the ground, and landed nimbly. He collapsed to all fours, and Palad hopped off of the side. He grinned and looked up to the red beast. "That was great! You went even higher and faster than last time!"

Wyvern merely basked in his own enflamed ego at that, and rubbed his claws against his body. "Heh…nothing to it."

Bahamut gave his disapproving look. "You know, you might hurt him one day doing that." He warned his brother.

"Ah, stop being such a wimp, Bahamut." Wyvern replied, waving his claw at him. "You're starting to sound as nagging as Starlet."

"Yeah." Palad playfully replied, waving his own hand at him.

Bahamut formed a mock-irritated look. "Whose side are you on, anyway, you little runt?"

Wyvern and Palad merely snickered at this, and after a moment Bahamut laughed a little himself. It was still all in good fun, and Bahamut wasn't that old yet himself. He was still a tad reckless himself. However, he also remembered the matter at hand, and was eager to get it resolved with their little human. After laughing a little bit, the trio stopped, and Palad walked over to the blue esperr.

"Come on, Bahamut!" He called to him. "I bet you could go higher! Let's find out!"

"Heh, not higher than me, Palad." Wyvern replied confidently.

Bahamut held up a stopping claw. "Maybe later, Palad. Right now, I want to ask you a question."

"Sure." Palad replied. Readily, he sat himself down on the ground, knowing that Bahamut could be a bit lengthy on his questions sometime. Wyvern sighed and leaned against a pile of rocks as well, knowing very well that this could indeed take a while. Bahamut himself lay down a bit longer, and swallowed. He knew that this wasn't the best question to ask Palad. Despite how much he had changed, despite having a weapon and clothes now, he didn't like talking about that day very much. However, the blue esper had no choice. He wanted to know.

"Palad…I have to ask you about what you made…about the spear."

The change was instantaneous. The human, who had been fairly loose and carefree until that point, suddenly flushed another color. He swallowed a bit, and shuddered slightly. His gaze turned downward, and he began to tuck a bit in toward himself, more into that ball that he was when they first met him. Wyvern blinked and looked at him, but listened to the rest of the conversation with intrigue.

"Palad…you didn't make the spear yourself, did you?" Bahamut asked very slowly. "Someone showed you how to make it, didn't they?"

Palad continued to sit silently for a little while, and didn't say anything else. Bahamut continued to look at him. Wyvern also looked in with more interest. The young man breathed slowly and kept his eyes to the ground, not speaking anymore. At last, Bahamut exhaled slightly. "Palad…you can tell me. I'm your friend."

Palad stayed silent for a moment longer. But then, very faintly, he cracked out in a small voice.

"…I've never told anyone…I was afraid…"

Bahamut blinked, his look growing concerned. "Afraid of what?"

"…Afraid that they'd think I knew what he knew…that I did what he did…"

Bahamut's interest was stimulated. "He? Who is he?"

"The old man."

"What old man?"

Palad shivered again, and drew in a deep breath. "I didn't want to meet him…" He muttered. "But I went out one day looking for food. It was winter. I got lost…I got cold… Everything kind of went dark after that… Then I woke up in his house in a cave. I was very sick…I could barely move. But I was scared. He made a bed for me just like you did. He made a fire without help, and he had one burning. He made medicine and mixtures of plants. He wore clothes and made tools too. Everything forbidden…he did. I wanted to run away, but I was too sick. I had to stay for a few days, until I got better… He took care of me the whole time. He fed me and he gave me some of the stuff he made, and I didn't feel so achy so I could sleep. I finally got well enough to leave, so I ran away…and somehow I found my way home… I never went near that area again. I was afraid…I'd get blamed for everything…"

Bahamut hesitated for a moment, rather amazed. Yes, Palad was right. This person did do a lot of things that the young man found forbidden, as did his family and his village. However, Bahamut was rather puzzled by a few more things. This one old man seemed to have a great knowledge of a lot of things if what Palad said was true. Not only did he know how to make tools and medicines, but he also knew how to make fire, it seemed, without the aide of Griever. If Griever was universal in his rules, then he no doubt was going against the rules of him in doing all this.

"There was no statue of Griever there?"

"No. He didn't do anything Griever commanded."

"Was he a human?"

"Yes."

"And you learned how to make the spear because you saw him doing it?"

Palad swallowed, and bowed his head. "I didn't want to… I had no choice. I could barely move, and he did it right in front of me…"

Bahamut went silent after this as Palad trailed off, and began to muse about all that he had learned. As for Wyvern, he snorted himself, and walked forward to pat the young man on the shoulder. "Ah, no worries, Palad. Remember, there isn't any Griever here. If you ask me, that old human seemed to have more sense than that old statue. He was smart enough to use his brains to make things and use them."

Palad still looked hesitant, but raised his head a little. "I…I have been thinking about him a little…" He spoke aloud. "I used to think he was bad…and I didn't tell anyone about him. But now…I'm thinking maybe he was like you guys…that he was just wanting to help me and he didn't know any better…"

Bahamut said nothing, but continued to muse. Very interesting…but it opened a new question. If Palad had learned what he knew from this old man, how did the old man learn it? And if he had learned it from someone else, who had taught him? Or had the old man figured it out all on his own? He had to have some advantage, being able to live all by himself.

However, Bahamut thought of something more. Perhaps…perhaps this man was only as much a human as Starlet and Odin were, in appearance only. And if he was…then perhaps he knew more. Perhaps he knew about Griever, and about the dark world. Perhaps he could finally answer the question as to what was evil in the dark world. Perhaps he could answer the question of why the humans lived as they did. All at once, the blue esper was enthusiastic and excited again, his knowledge stimulated. And, for the first time, a dangerous thought entered his own mind…

Bahamut suddenly raised his head, and looked out to the field. Leviathan and Ogopogo were still slithering around with Starlet walking nearby them. The blue esper hesitated a moment, but then called out to them. "Hey! Leviathan!"

The esper turned his head toward the source of the noise.

"How long until Crusader comes back?"

Both Palad and Wyvern raised their heads at that, intrigued. Leviathan himself shrugged his coils. "Tomorrow morning, I think." He called back.

Bahamut nodded, and then looked away. Leviathan himself looked confused to his brother and sister, but then merely kept slithering onward. Wyvern and Palad looked back to Bahamut now, both of them looking rather curious.

"What was that all about?" Wyvern asked.

Bahamut hesitated a moment, licking his lips. But then, he turned his head toward the young human nearby. "Palad…could you show me where that old man lives…if I took you back to the dark world?"

Palad blinked in a bit of fear. "Huh? Why?"

* * *

"You're going again! How many more rules do you want to break!"

"We already broke this one before." Wyvern simply replied.

"This isn't a good idea, you three." Leviathan stated, shaking his head and voicing his concurance with Starlet's own nagging tone. Unlike last time, now that everyone knew about the young human Bahamut and Wyvern had decided to get the whole group together in on it, and tell them all the news. Now, the other five espers were all gathered around. Seeing as none of them had broken the rules yet, all of them looked rather nervous…with the exception of Odin. He merely stood coldly against a rock, his arms crossed before him and his glowing gaze looking expressionlessly at the ground. "Who knows what would happen if Crusader caught you?"

"You said she wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning." Bahamut answered. "This shouldn't take long. I've got to know more about that world."

"What's there to know?" Ogopogo asked. "It's an evil place full of evil creatures. Let's leave it at that."

"Palad is most certainly not evil!" Phoenix squawked back at her brother.

Starlet groaned. "He had better not have a cold when you get back!" She called at them both. Even as she said so, she finished tying a newly made thick cape around Palad's neck and putting the hood over on his head. After that, she turned him around and handed him his stone axe, which he readily took. The young human looked nervous, but he was sure that the old man wasn't bad anymore, and he'd do anything for his friends. Of course, he might have thought a bit differently if he knew that Bahamut and Wyvern were both suspicious of that large monster coming out again when they got there. However, both of them were ready to defend Palad with their lives. Starlet, after adjusting Palad's clothes, bent down in front of her.

"Now you stay close to Bahamut and Wyvern, Palad. And hold on tight when they fly."

"I will." Palad assured Starlet. The esper hesitated a moment, but then leaned forward and gave him a big hug. The young human readily returned it, After a short embrace, he parted and stepped away. Then he turned and rushed over to Wyvern. As many times before, he readily got onto his back and held on like he had so many times before. After warmly bidding goodbye to the human, Starlet looked up to both of the espers and lashed out at them.

"And you two better make sure he doesn't have a single scratch on him or I'll skin your scaly butts!"

"Ah, stop worrying." Wyvern snorted in reply, waving at Starlet.

"Do be careful." Leviathan spoke solemnly, joining in. "She's right. Bahamut…I'm still trying to develop my own mind…but I'm already getting a bad feeling about that portal. Every time I meditate on it and feel uneasy. It's not safe down there."

Bahamut was reminded of the creature again that he saw come out of the ground, but swallowed and proceeded to lie. "Don't worry. I can handle anything down there. The most dangerous thing down there is a bear, and we didn't have any trouble killing one last time. We'll be back as soon as we can."

At that, both Wyvern and Bahamut reared up, and began to flap their wings. As they did, their bodies shook, then began to rise off of the ground. The espers began to look up to them as they departed, and all of them, save Odin, reached up and began to wave.

"Good-bye!"

"Come home soon!"

"Good luck you three!"

"Palad, wear that cape tightly!"

After the last few goodbyes, both Wyvern and Bahamut took off. The two flying espers were soon headed full speed back for the mountain cliffs at the rear of Ultima Nexus. The four espers left behind sighed, and gradually dropped their waving hands and watched them leave. Starlet's face went troubled almost instantly. Odin, for his part, glared out at them as they went and maintained his cold look.

"I hope they'll be alright…" Starlet murmured.

"They're crazy for going down to that dark world again, if you ask me." Ogopogo hissed. "Crazy the first time too."

The espers talked among themselves for a few short moments, but then turned and began to walk away back to their own activities again. They were all full of worry now, both to their brothers as well as to their little human boy. However, they had only gone a few steps when Leviathan turned his head back. He noticed that though the two espers were already gone from view, Odin was still standing there and coldly looking out. The blue esper blinked.

"Aren't you going to practice?"

"…Not today." Odin darkly answered. "I think I'll wait for them this time."

* * *

_The Crystal shed it's light silently…illuminating the cavern of darkness._

_"…They're back."_

_"Eh? Really? Are you sure, master?"_

_"Find them and destroy them. Do not fail this time."_

_"Grrr…I wouldn't have failed last time either, master…if you would have told me they were coming for him…"_

_"Just be quiet and do your job, Lich."_

_"He-he…feeding time…"

* * *

_

A few moments of darkless…a funnel of clouds…and suddenly, Bahamut found himself once again floating over a sea of blue and diving through the heavens toward it. He went ahead and did so for a moment, feeling the cooler winds of the dark world strike him. Wyvern quickly approached his side, Palad holding onto him with his cape whipping in the wind. Both espers fell for a few moments, but then both pulled up as one once low enough, and were soon soaring through the sky once more. The day was lighter now, light despite the thick cloud cover. Things were visible. And it was a bit warmer than last time, so both of them were more able as well.

"We're back." Wyvern announced out loud.

"Alright." Bahamut readily answered, eager to get underway. "Palad, where is the old man's cave?"

"We'll have to get back to my village first." Palad called back over the wind. "I can only find it from there."

"Well then, let's go."

Soon, Bahamut and Wyvern were tearing across the sky. Both of them flew faster than before, as both were a bit older and stronger now. Also, Bahamut wasn't nearly so interested with sightseeing this time. Yet even as he raced across the sky, he was able to appreciate the world below a bit better. He now knew what everything was, that he was really looking over a forest, and that the seashore was lashing against it as he went. Mountains and hills were rising up and down all over this forest as he went, and he was able to see deer going to and fro as he flew. He was a bit hungry for meat, a taste that once it had reached his mouth have never really been satisfied by anything else he ate. There was other stuff too. The snow was gone from the ground, and small clumps of grass and other wildflowers were emerging from the soil. They weren't nearly as brilliant looking as the ones in Ultima Nexus, but Bahamut was fascinated with them none the less. Anything new fascinated him.

The two espers shot across the sky for hours. They grew a bit tired this time, not taking any breaks or stopping, not to mention not going at a leisurely pace. But they were still in good enough shape to keep moving. The sky rumbled a few times, something that scared and startled both Wyvern and Bahamut. Palad said that was rain and thunder. That relieved them, but only for a moment, for he said soon after that it always struck the highest point. The two espers immediately dove much closer to the tree line. Yet no lightning came, and except for a few flecks of liquid, which Palad said was rain, there was nothing too bad. The two espers were able to rise again, and flew on stronger.

At last, the two espers began to cross over the area where Palad had lived. Wyvern reached out and pointed to the ground when they came there. Palad looked over the edge and down. For a moment, Bahamut saw a great longing in his eyes, and an inner sadness. The blue esper couldn't blame him. It wasn't until he got to knew the human, and respected him less and less as a creature and more and more as an individual that he realized how powerful the impact had to be on him when he left. However, that didn't change the fact that Palad could still not go back. At least the sign that his village was still there was encouragement. It had obviously been spared by Griever. He hesitated only a moment, but then turned and pointed in a new direction.

"Ok. Go that way." He said, a bit slowly.

Immediately, Bahamut and Wyvern turned and did as they were told, flying in the new direction. Bahamut looked to the sky again and frowned. It was getting dark already, despite how hard they had flown and how they had struggled to get to this point. Soon it would be night, and chilly again. Luckily, it was still nowhere as bad as it had been that winter, and that was always a relief. Bahamut still found himself frequently looking to Palad. The young man looked well enough, but he didn't want to see him starting to get too cold.

The landscape changed as they went along, giving more sights for Bahamut to see. For one thing, a large body of water appeared as they rushed overhead. He thought it was a sea for a moment, but it was a lake, just like his own back home. There was more too. The trees began to part for a little while, and in their place there was a large prairie covered with grass. Big creatures, bigger than bears and deer alike with two little horns and solid bodies, walked and grazed along it, arousing more of Bahamut's attention. He would have liked to look at them more closely…or sample their taste…but resigned himself to wait until later. There were more herds of deer here too, running about on the field. Bahamut noticed that smaller creatures with teeth and claws chased them, but they looked a lot different from bears. They had longer ears, walked on all fours, and had big tails. They also amazed the esper, but he turned away again and looked ahead.

It was still another long trip for them. Hours went by once more, and the sky gradually turned completely dark. At that, Bahamut's tension renewed a bit, and he looked down more closely for any large monsters like that one had been out that one night. He saw nothing though, and as they flew on the forest gradually returned and swept over the area again. Realizing he wouldn't get to see much of anything, he turned his head up and merely kept flying onward. It didn't really matter, he supposed. They were too high and too fast for any creature to get to them. Still, he didn't like where they were that much.

"Hey Palad…" He called out at length. "How much longer until we reach this old man's house?"

"Well…at this speed…I'd say another thirty minutes." Palad answered after a short moment of thinking.

Bahamut sighed. "Great. That's a major relie-"

"UH!"

Abruptly, Bahamut halted in mid-air, and stared in shock. In a flash, a form had shot out from the trees below and had rocketed into the sky like a thunderbolt, until it collided right with Wyvern's chest. The esper blinked for a moment, but then began to make out the figure. It had a huge, hideous body…large forearms…and an evil red glare… He began to feel the evil and power radiating off of it.

It was the creature.

"Hah!" The thing roared in its voice as it smashed its fist into Wyvern. The impact was so strong that Palad was thrown violently off of Wyvern's back. The thing sneered and then fell again, shooting back toward the ground. As it did, Wyvern moaned and slumped over, and began to free fall as well. But he wasn't alone. Palad was now off…and was falling as well! The boy tumbled over in the air, crying out in terror and anguish.

"Palad!" Bahamut yelled out.Bahamut had never tried diving before, but he quickly became brave enough to attempt it once he saw the young human falling. He immediatelyshot straight for him, and extended his claws to grab him. Moments later, he snatched the screaming boy out of the sky and quickly pulled him in protectively to his body. Wyvern continued to fall for a few moments…but then gave out a groan and began to unfurl his wings again. Bahamut himself looked down to the pale, sweating lad as he struggled to pump his wings back into the air.

"Are you hurt?" He asked frantically.

"N-n-no…" Palad slowly replied, stunned by the whole act. However, his eyes suddenly went wide in fear. "Look out!"

Bahamut reacted to that cry, and suddenly sensed the great evil coming back. In a spastic movement, he collapsed his wings and threw himself to the side. Moments later, the hulking beast tore by him, once again punching out with its claw hands. One of its hard talons slashed against Bahamut's shoulder as it did so. The esper cried out in pain, but forced himself to hold on hard to Palad. He began to free fall as well now, his wings tucked in.

The thing glared down at them wickedly and licked its lips. "You're lunchmeat, you flying lizard! First the fleshy whelp for an appetizer, then your scaly face for dessert!" Soon after, he began to free fall back down to the ground as well, cackling all the way through his hideous grimace. Bahamut gasped and looked after him for a short moment, falling as well. But then, as the creature fell below him, he unfurled his wings, turned in mid-air, and began to lift off again, sending himself back into the sky.

As he did so, Wyvern, looking plenty furious, closed in on him. He coughed hard, sounding sore. "That little slimeball…" He hissed. "Where is he! I'll claw his face off!"

"Forget fighting!" Bahamut called back. "That thing is too powerful! Fly for it!"

"HA!" The monster cried out from far below, obviously able to hear them even as high as they were. Both espers turned their heads in shock back down to the ground, but the thing had already vanished back into the trees. "No one escapes me! You're all my midnight snack!"

With that, the hideous behemoth suddenly sprung back out from the tree line and raged back up to the two espers. Immediately, Bahamut and Wyvern turned and began to take off, flying out of his attack pattern as quickly as possible. However, Bahamut only got a few feet when he hesitated. That creature couldn't fly. It could only jump in one direction off the ground. In the air, it had nothing to balance its force on. Realizing the advantage, the esper flew on a bit more, but then suddenly changed directions and turned back to the thing. The monster instantly formed a confused expression as it shot into the sky, noticing Bahamut's change. However, it didn't look confused long. As it neared the same level as Bahamut, the blue esper suddenly swung his tail back, and then whipped it forward to strike the creature with all his might. Thunder sounded as the two body parts collided.

Moments later, the creature was flying through the air in the opposite direction like a giant having hit a ball as hard as he could. As he vanished into the sky and began his long arch downward, the creature emitted a steady stream of nasty language and words that Bahamut had never heard before, all directed toward the three of them. But the esper was more focused on his tail, which now ached through and through for having hit the creature with all his might. Not wanting to be around when the thing came around, Bahamut quickly turned and tore off with renewed vigor in Wyvern's direction. His brother, it turned out, had held back as well. But when he saw Bahamut appear, he turned and readily flew with him, and both soared as fast as they could.

"What in the world was that creature?" Bahamut bellowed in a mixture of shock and anxiety.

Wyvern groaned. "Something that felt worst than diving onto a pile of rocks…" He replied as he rubbed his stomach.

"Have you ever seen a creature like that before, Palad?" Bahamut asked his small passenger.

Palad was still rattled, but shook his head no. "N-n-never, Bahamut. It didn't look at all like Griever… Maybe it was a demon."

"Whatever it was, it's dead meat the next time time I see it." Wyvern hissed.

"Don't be so reckless, Wyvern." Bahamut warned. "I could sense the power of that creature. It makes the both of us look like butterflies. The only reason I was able to do that to it was because it had no base to attack me from. Even so…I think I dented in some of my scales hitting it."

Palad sounded rather worried at that. He had long thought that Bahamut, Wyvern, and the other espers were the strongest creatures there were. Hearing that only made him nervous. "What are we going to do?" He asked them.

Bahamut and Wyvern looked to each other. Neither of them had any immediate answers to give. At length, the former sighed, and then looked back to their flight path. "For right now, we'll head on to the old man's. When we head back, we'll take a long way around to your village, and we'll stay low to the ground to avoid that thing finding us. For now, let's just get there."

"And fast." Wyvern added. "I don't like the idea of Tiny catching up to us at his ability to jump."

* * *

To be continued...


	7. The Old Man

It was only another thirty minutes, just as said, before the three of them finally arrived. Luckily, there was no sign of that creature following them. Bahamut looked behind frequently for him, but saw nothing. After a time, he put Palad back on Wyvern's back. While he felt better holding onto him, he didn't want to be punched in the stomach when he was holding Palad in front of it. There wasn't a doubt in his mind after seeing Wyvern in so much pain that the blow would have been fatal to the young man. However, all of them managed to adjust to the pain rather well, even to the cut that he had on his upper arm. And his spirits did rise when they approached.

Palad pointed it out to them. It was along a chain of rocky hills, part of a range of mountains. In front of a small clearing in the forest, there was the dark opening of a cave below. Bahamut swallowed a bit at seeing that. If it was dark, then where was the fire that the old man had made? Or worse…what if the old man was already dead? He had, after all, been an old man. And Palad had made it clear that humans were so weak they would actually die after a limited number of years, even if they weren't sick or hurt. Bahamut knew himself that he and the other espers would never die like that, but it worried him occasionally when he thought of Palad or the other humans. At any rate, this was the entrance.

Bahamut looked around a bit, making sure that there were no other creatures in the area, and that no one was watching them. Sure enough, he couldn't see a soul in the woods around them. That confirmed, he turned back to the cave, and then dove for it. Wyvern quickly followed suit, bearing Palad as he did so. Within a few instants, both of them had touched down on the ground right in the clearing, right before the cave. Palad was allowed to step off, and stand next to the two espers. All three of them now stood before the dark opening, and all three stood still and silent for a short moment.

"Well…we're here." Wyvern murmured.

"Yeah…" Bahamut slowly answered. After that, there was a pause of silence. Nothing happened, and none of the three moved.

"Uh…guess we…might as well go in."

"Yeah…" Bahamut murmured in reply.

More silence.

"Anytime now, Big B."

Bahamut snapped out of his thoughts and looked to Wyvern. "Huh?" He asked. "Oh…right…" After that, he turned back to the cave entrance, and swallowed. Be this human or not, he no doubt would have many amazing things inside this cave…and he knew more than Bahamut did. There had to be something special about him…and inside he hoped that he would be friendly and would tell them. At last, the esper swallowed, and then began to walk for the entrance.

After a few short moments, Bahamut found himself beginning to enter the dark cave. Wyvern followed after, and Palad trailed closely behind him, looking behind frequently for the monster and keeping his axe up. Bahamut swallowed again and walked in a bit more…until he suddenly halted. There was something in front of him. Something that felt like…hide? He paused, then reached out his claw and touched it. It was hide…and it was hanging in front of the cave opening. He hesitated a moment, and then pushed it. A crack of yellow light came out, causing the esper to recoil. But that was only a moment. Then, the esper pushed again, and let the light flow. Slowly, he moved forward, and stuck his head inside to see what was there.

Rightly so…Bahamut was instantly amazed.

The entire place was lit up as if it was an afternoon. All of the light stemmed from an opening in the rock wall toward the back, where there were branches from trees burning. A fire was kept in the cave! Not only that, but there was a great pile of branches near it, ready to be thrown into the fire as well. Even more, there was a big tool made of wood and stone that looked a lot like Palad's stone axe in the cave, and it seemed from the wood that the axe had been what chopped the trees into burnable pieces. Of course, there was much more than that. There were piles of trunks up on one side of the cave. However, all of the insides had been carved out, and inside them lay herbs and plants of all sorts of different types. Each different kind was arranged in a different trunk. Once again, there were small tools made out of wood and stone nearby that seemed to have been used for carving them out. There were tools all over the place on the other side of the cave. Some were for weapons, like the spear and axe. Some were smaller, like knives. Still others were for grinding and mashing or grounding. There were also fur hides of all sorts of different creatures on that side of the cave. Some of them were made into pouches, and were full of some sort of seed or grain. Various rocks were arranged in the cave for people to sit on. There were also several beds made. Unlike the bedroll that Palad had, these were made out of sticks tied together with hide, and several hides stretched over the top of them. But there was more than one of them. There was actually four of them. Only one of them looked recently used, however. All of it was wonderful and new to Bahamut. However, there was one person who caught Bahamut's attention most of all.

A old, thin man sat near the fire, poking it with a stick. He wore some garment made out of gray fur, tied around his waist by a strip of leather. His hair was as gray as the fur, long and stretching down all the way to his waist. His skin was gnarled and wrinkled, and for the first time Bahamut saw a truly old human. However, he only poked the fire for a while. He slowly came to a stop, and then slowly turned his head around toward the entrance. Bahamut saw that he had a broad nose but thin face, and a beard as long as the rest of his hair. It was parted out of his eyes…which burned with an inner power and life and wisdom the likes of which Bahamut had never seen. He gently rested hisgaze on Bahamut, and showed not the slightest fear of his monstrous appearance. Instead, he gently smiled, and nodded at him slowly.

"You have come." He spoke in a slow and powerful voice. "Do not stand in the door all night. Come in."

Bahamut was puzzled at this, and pulled his head a bit back. "You've…been expecting me?"

The man smiled gently on, and slowly nodded. "I have been expecting you since the moment I was born." He gently answered.

Bahamut blinked again, amazed. However, he did as he was told. After lingering a moment longer, he swallowed, and then began to enter the cave. While it was fairly big inside, it could still barely accommodate Bahamut's full height. He had to lower his head and tuck his wings inward. But he did enter in, struggling not to knock things over or smash up items as he did so. However, no sooner had he pulled in the last length of his tail than Wyvern's own head popped in.

The red esper looked around a moment, then whistled. "Groovy."

The old man smiled at him as well. "There is more than one of you. Very well. Come in, come in."

Wyvern did as he was told, and was a bit more reckless about it. His shoulders and his tail bumped into several things as he did so. Some of the tools were knocked to the ground, and one of the stones was shifted. Yet he did enter, and the old man didn't seem to mind. Bahamut himself swallowed and was glad that Wyvern hadn't entered on his side, or he'd have smashed down the entire wall of herbs. Bahamut himself plopped down on the ground, and Wyvern after him. Palad came in shortly after, looking small and nervous. However, he managed to bravely look at the man. The man, in his own manner, raised his eyes to him.

"Ah." He stated. "It's young Palad, back again. I do say, you look much healthier and stronger since you last came in. And you no longer seem to fear clothing and tools so much."

Palad swallowed, and bowed his head regardless, looking a bit embarrassed. "Hello, sir." He murmured.

The old man slowly rose from where he was. He bones creaked and strained as he did so, but he didn't seem to mind too much. Soon he was back to his feet, and then he looked over the people around him. "Well Palad…why not tell me your friends' names?"

Palad swallowed again in nervousness, but then gestured to the espers. "That's Bahamut…and that's Wyvern."

"And my name is Jadea." The old man answered. "But enough for right now. It's getting close to supper, and I trust you all are famished from having come such a long way. Let's see if I can make something…"

With that, Jadea began to walk over to the pouches of seeds and grain. The trio looked mildly puzzled, turning to each other. How did the old man know so much? Bahamut was the most curious and upfront about it, and so turned to the old man after a moment or so. "Uh…Jadea?" He asked him. "How…how did you know we were coming?"

Jadea smiled and chuckled a bit, but kept walking to the pouches. "I know many things, Bahamut. Some I gain by learning. Some I gain because the Planet tells me them. You see…Bahamut…I was once like you. I struggled for answers to the way the world was." He was at the pouches now, and began to reach into one of them. "But like you…I did not even know where to look. I knew about as much of the world as myself. Nothing. And right now…as much as you think you know, Bahamut…you have only begun the journey for knowledge…"

Jadea pulled out something a bit later. It looked like a white crystal packed around some sort of creature. However, Jadea looked to Bahamut, and his stare soon removed all attention that the esper might have toward the animal.

"And before the end…you may very well regret ever knowing what you have learned."

* * *

Jadea made some sort of food out of water, herbs, meat, and combining all three in a big stone pot. After that, he poured out some into wooden bowls for all four of them, larger ones for Bahamut and Wyvern. The two espers enjoyed their food rather well, Wyvern to the point of licking his bowl with his long serpent tongue. Bahamut had never tasted anything like it before, and it felt warm like flesh yet tasty like the nectar, yet didn't taste the same in every way. He enjoyed it, no matter what it was. It made his wounds feel better and eased his tension. However, it did little to sate his hunger for knowledge of what was going on, and how exactly Jadea knew everything he did.

While they ate, Jadea barely touched his own food, instead tending to the injuries of both Bahamut and Wyvern. He applied some mixture of moss and herbs to either of their wounds, and it felt good and soothing to the touch for both of them. Time rolled slowly by, and no one said much of anything to each other. Jadea, typically, took the longest to eat his own portion, and the night grew later outside as he went on. Palad gradually grew to be more at ease, and a bit later began to yawn. Bahamut forgot how much he had been through in one day, and that he normally went to bed much earlier than this. The esper himself was rather tired.

When Palad reached a state of half-sleep, Jadea came over to him, took off his cape and axe, and then led him to one of the beds. The moment he was laid down and covered up, he dropped right off and began to snore softly. Jadea seemed to have a melancholy look when he stared at him, and sighed after a moment. Then, he slowly turned and went back to where he had sat before, and did so again. Still, he turned and looked to Palad.

"Bless his heart." The old man spoke aloud. "He has darker days ahead of him…much darker. Him and his entire race."

Bahamut blinked at this. "Excuse me?"

However, Jadea merely bowed his head and sighed again. Silence reigned afterward once more, as the old man shut his eyes and began to contemplate. He slowly turned his head over to Bahamut and Wyvern, but would not look up to them yet. Time ticked slowly by, and both espers sat in wait for some news of what all of this was or how Jadea knew everything that he knew. Yet after a few minutes of silence, Jadea finally rose his head, and stared at Bahamut and Wyvern both.

"…Do you want to know _how _I knew you were coming?"

Bahamut and Wyvern sat still after that. The edge on Jadea's voice showed that he was getting serious, and both of them realized it. However, they didn't respond to him at once, not knowing what to say. After a moment or so of hesitation longer, however, Jadea nodded, and then spoke again to them.

"You may think many things about me, you two…espers…" He spoke, once again amazing the both of them that he knew their true title. "But I am not human, as you may think. I am a species that is…physically weaker… I am a Cetra. Years ago, we lived on the Southern Continent. But when the coming of the Sorceaceatre occurred, we fled and were scattered throughout the world. Oh, I am certain we will gather together again one day. But not for now.

"Now you may ask yourselves…what is a Cetra? Well…quite honestly, I am one of the caretakers of the Planet. I talk to it. Rather, I can communicate with the living things of the world as their channel themselves through it eternally. Their lives move through the world like a river…or a stream of blood. The blood of the Planet, that is…the Lifestream. Yes…we Cetra are the caretakers of the Planet…" Jadea trailed off here and hesitated, but then resumed again with one powerful phrase.

"…but the espers are the children of the Planet."

Both espers reacted to this with surprise.

"You may call yourselves brothers and sisters," Jadea continued. "But who was your mother? She was the Planet herself personified. The Planet is not merely a series of landforms, water, and mountains. It is a living thing itself, just like you and me. And just as each living thing supports other creatures, so it supports us."

Bahamut was amazed. "You…you know this?"

Jadea nodded. "Yes. And in time…you will as well. The Cetra, whether they wish to or not, can talk to the Planet from the time of their birth. But in time, you will be able to talk to your mother as well. When you do, you will know the full details of your lives…how to reproduce…how to utilize your true powers…"

"Weird…" Wyvern murmured.

Bahamut, however, was still intrigued. "You know all this. You also said you were waiting for us your whole life. Why?"

Jadea hesitated a moment, drawing himself up, but then answered. "Because, Bahamut…like I said before…you know little. In time…the truth will come to you. When it does, you can decide what you want to believe and what you wish to follow. However…I was waiting for you because I wanted to tell you the truth earlier. The choice, in the end, must be yours." Jadea paused a moment, and exhaled. "…Do you want to know…the truth about this world? About the humans? About…Griever?"

Wyvern snorted. "Of course. That's why we came here."

Bahamut likewise nodded eagerly.

"Do not be so earnest." Jadea sternly answered, surprising both espers. "Knowledge is a great gift, and a great power. And as with any great power, it must be wielded with greater responsibility. And to the one who has more…more will be demanded. The truth may cost you more than you care to lose…perhaps everything that you know and take for granted." Jadea hesitated for a moment here, but then softened. "Do you still want to know?"

Wyvern hesitated, but only a fraction of a second. "My answer stands, old man."

Bahamut himself held back a bit longer. Perhaps…had he known the price he would have to pay…had he known where he would be years from then…had he known all of what saying yes would have entailed…he would have turned and left right there. There were times in his life afterward he would have destroyed that old man and let the truth lay buried forever, so upset was he at his life. But then…he was young…naïve…and couldn't deny his thirst for the truth. He nodded again. "I have to know."

Jadea paused for a moment, and softly nodded. A slight smile formed, as if he was strangely relieved. "As you wish…" He slowly answered. His gaze burned. His demeanor became cold and serious. His eyes pierced both espers. Then, at last, he spoke.

"Palad…" He began, gesturing to the boy. "His family…his friends…his village…and all humans on this Planet… They have all been deceived. They think they are doing good and living right…when in reality they have all been made the suffering slaves of a monster named Griever."

Bahamut raised his eyebrows, as did Wyvern. "Griever? That statue?"

"That statue is nothing more than a device of the true monster's." Jadea calmly answered. "He made it and placed it in every human community in the world years before this generation was born. Each one has a crystal fragment inside it, a part of the larger Crystal…a substance that focuses the very power of the Planet itself. Through it, he sees, speaks, and strikes out at anyone he wishes through the statues. He destroyed all other humans other than the ones that were in the crystal's way, then destroyed all except the infants. He rose them up under his commands, reducing them to their miserable status where they live as the least of creatures.

"Griever is a hideousbeast of awesome power. His heart beats so great an evil that anyone can feel it throughout this world. Griever once held good in his heart, but it has been corrupted again and again throughout history, and he has turned to greed, malice, and above all a lust for power. He enjoys having the humans as worms. He is even beginning to feel amused when they are freezing, starving, or dying. When Griever took over the power of the Crystal, he had little trouble dominating this world." Jadea hesitated a moment after that, and sighed slowly. "He was also able to evoke…the Four Fiends."

Wyvern interjected. "Four Fiends?"

"The Four Fiends of the Elements…creatures that fully allowed their hearts to be corrupted to evil, and personify the dark side of the four elements: earth, fire, water, and wind. They carry out his disasters on the world, and derive joy from their power and the suffering they cause. You have met one already…Lich, the Earth Fiend. He is the one who gave you those injuries."

Bahamut blinked in amazement. "But why attack us?"

"Until you came, there were no espers in this world. You may not know it, but the last time you were here, two years ago, Griever felt your presence. He feared…well, perhaps feared is too strong a word…he _felt concerned_ about your presence. He believed you would corrupt other humans. You came from a world that wasn't his. You knew that there was nothing wrong with wearing clothes, making tools, or making fires. Griever forbid those on purpose. By keeping the humans in an eternally painful existence, he will always leave them dependant on him. He also felt your power. You two would not succumb to the same basic forces of a wasteland like the humans would. He wanted you dead, for this reason."

Both espers reacted with shocked looks.

"He sent Lich out to kill you three, to keep you from ever causing an uprising. Griever's pride has grown so strong that, even though he could easily destroy the entire human race if they rose against him, he chooses rather to let them live and shower worship on him forever."

Bahamut was overwhelmed. "That's…that's horrible!"

Wyvern snarled. "The dirty sleazeball… I'd give him a piece of my mind…"

"No, you wouldn't." Jadea calmly answered. "Griever is infinitely stronger than the both of you combined. The sole reason he isn't dealing with you personally is because he considers you both a waste of his time."

Wyvern scowled. "Bring him over here and I'll show him who's a waste of time…"

Bahamut, however, was more concerned with the real problem. "Jadea, we've got to stop him! We have to tell the humans they're being lied too!"

"And if you did?" Jadea calmly answered. "Griever would say that you two were demons, and soon the rest of humanity would be after you as well as Lich. Either that…or Griever would simply annihilate any humans you spoke to. And humanity is too ill equipped to go off on their own. Even if they were all liberated today, they'd be dead at winter. None of them know how to do even basic survival skills. For example…do either of you even know how to make a fire?"

Both Bahamut and Wyvern froze at that, and then both of them bowed their heads miserably.

Jadea nodded. "I thought so." After saying that, he reached into his garment, and a moment later pulled out two stones. One was white and sharp, and the other seemed to be a mere stone. He held both before them. "Mark well these two stones. One is a mere stone, but this white sharp one is called flint. You can find it whenever you look in any dry creak bed in this world. Strike it against the right type of stone just right…" Here, he struck the two together. A few sparks came off, startling both espers. "…And out will come sparks. If you put any type of dry material underneath the sparks, that is light, like grass or leaves, it will catch aflame. Then just keep feeding it progressively bigger dry material and it will eventually grow into a large fire."

Wyvern sighed. "Thanks for the lesson…how does it help us against Lich or Griever?"

Jadea slowly sighed, and shook his head. "There is no hope for this world in humans. You, the espers, are the only hope for it now. And there is only one thing that will save the humans. You must recover the Crystal. Without it, Griever will no longer be able to reach out to the world as he does now."

Bahamut still looked confused. "But if we're so weak, Jadea, how are we going to be able to get it?"

Hearing this part, Jadea at last smiled. He leaned in closer and looked warmly to either of them. "True…you may be weak now. However…you are espers. You are the children of the Planet. As such, each one of you commands great power and knowledge. Power that far outclasses any other form on this planet, perhaps even the Four Fiends themselves."

"Then how come we aren't that strong now?" Wyvern asked.

"You have not yet realized your potential." Jadea replied. "You have not realized even the truth about yourselves or the Planet on your own yet. But that can change. It will take a lot of hard work and effort on your parts. Until now, you have lived a mostly carefree existence. To unleash your true powers, you will have to concentrate more effectively in enlarging you mental fortitude as well as physical. Bahamut…" The blue esper looked up at this. "You already have taken the first steps in that direction through your mental training. I can sense you're beginning to gain rudimentary mental skills."

Bahamut smiled a bit at this. Wyvern rolled his eyes and groaned. "Show off…"

"As your powers expand, you will begin to realize more of your latent abilities and potential." Jadea went on. "If you reach your full potential, enhancing yourself in all areas as far as possible, you will reach the point of Omniapex, and will reach your most powerful state possible. You'll command a level of strength never even heard of before or witnessed."

Wyvern grinned a bit at this. "Sounds better and better all the time."

However, Bahamut sighed a bit. "Jadea…I've been trying to build myself up mentally for years now. But I haven't gotten much stronger at all for it. It could take centuries to be strong enough to make any difference, even against that monster we ran into on the way here."

Jadea hesitated after hearing that, but then smiled. It was very enigmatic, as if he was hiding something. After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly arose from where he sat, getting both espers' attention. The old man then began to slowly walk over to the wall. Once there, he took up one of the wooden bowls, and began to take various herbs and roots from the shelf, and put them in the bowl. "I might be able to help you in that area…" He slowly mused.

Bahamut blinked in puzzlement. "Really? How?"

"While you will have to find most of the power within yourselves…" Jadea continued, still gathering things off the wall. "I can assist you in taking the next step. I am proposing to make a highly potent incense. If you breathe it, you will be lulled into a trance for three hours. During that time, I can speak to you hypnotically to enable you to delve deeper into your minds and bodies and bring out some of your hidden strength." He finished taking the last plant off the wall, and took up one of his grinding stones. He immediately started to mash up all of the plants that he had taken.

"Really?" Wyvern asked in amazement.

"Will it hurt?" Bahamut inquired.

"Not a bit." Jadea replied, heading over to the fire while crushing the plants together. "You'll be radically stronger after I'm done. You might even have released one of your weaker abilities."

Wyvern chuckled. "Well then, what are we waiting for!"

"I'll do it." Bahamut readily answered with a nod.

"Good." Jadea answered as he reached the fire. He ground up the plants a bit more, and then finally set the stone aside. "Both of you just lie down your heads and relax. This won't affect me, as I'm already at the peak of my limited strength and I'm used to it. But it will put both of you out pretty quickly. So you want to start off down. Both ready?"

Bahamut readily lowered his head. "Ready!"

"Ready!" Wyvern chimed in as he rested his head on the ground.

"Ok. Here it goes."

Jadea poured the plant contents onto the fire. There was a bit of a crackling and puffing, and almost immediately a thick green smoke began to arise from the flames. But rather go out where the rest of the smoke was, it began to fill the room rather quickly. Within instants, it had filled Jadea's part of the room, where he set down his bowl and then began to move over to a stone. He sat down on it, and right in front of both espers. The green mist continued to fill the room, and soon was washing over both Wyvern and Bahamut's heads. The esper stared on through it, looking right to Jadea.

"Now…" The Cetra began. "Both of you relax, and take deep breaths…"

Bahamut did as he was told and gulped in a huge whiff of the green smoke. It was heavy and fragrant, and he nearly sneezed at once. He forced himself to breathe in another large whiff. This one, which he was more accustomed too, felt better. He took in a third breath, as the green mist filled the entire room, giving all a hazy green color. After this, the world seemed to be a bit foggy…like it was dimming. But Bahamut did as told, and continued to breathe in. The next breath left the world more dim and foggy, swirling into the green mist. The Cetra said something, but it was distant now, and Bahamut couldn't make it out. He took in another deep breath, and the whole world swirled into a black oblivion. His mind vanished into the green mist, and Bahamut began to relax in that dreamlike blackness…

"Wake up! Wake up you two! It's been _five_ hours!"

Bahamut snorted, sneezing a bit of the green powder out of his nose. All at once, the world began to reform in light again. Only now, all of the mist had vanished, and the place looked perfectly normal. Bahamut raised his head and looked left and right. What was that? He had just begun to go to sleep under the incense…and it was already over? Bahamut looked to the old man, who frowned at him with his arms crossed.

"About time."

Bahamut blinked. "Huh? That's it? I just started dozing off."

"You 'dozed off' five hours ago." Jadea answered. "I gave you both the command to wake up two hours ago. Yet you kept on sleeping."

"Man, you two must have been really tired."

Bahamut turned his head to the sound of the voice. Palad was up and alert now, looking like he had been so for a while at this point. Bahamut blinked, hardly able to believe his eyes. He had been snoring away a moment ago, but was now awake. Had that really been it? How else could Jadea have cleared everything out so quickly?

Wyvern yawned, and opened his own eyes. "Man, when's the old fossil going to get started…" He grumbled as he leaned up.

"He says he's already done." Bahamut answered.

"Done…" Wyvern muttered, still half asleep. But in an instant, he was awake again. "Done?" He exclaimed. Immediately, he shot his head up. "All of that trouble and he's done alrea-"

Before Wyvern could say another word, his head connected with the ceiling. But rather than bang off of it in pain, like Bahamut expected, his head smashed right into it. The whole cave shuttered as rocks rained down from the ceiling. Wyvern's head went in fully halfway into it, and he didn't look the slightest bit in pain for doing so. The esper immediately stopped talking, and froze in surprise as his head rested in the ceiling.

"Uh…"

"Wow!" Palad called in amazement.

Bahamut blinked himself, and looked to his own body. Slowly, he formed one of his claws into a fist. He hesitated a moment after doing so, but then smashed it down on the ground. Instantly, the rock floor shattered beneath his power, and his fist sank into it. Bahamut gaped.

"Incredible!"

"I feel amazing!" Wyvern joyfully exclaimed. "And…and there's something else!" He added, with some hesitation. "Something in my mind…something inside me…something called…Pyrin…" With that, Wyvern opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate deep inside him. The others all looked to him, and began to see a small light beginning to glow within his throat.

"Stop!" Jadea shrieked. "Do your practicing outside! You'll ruin my home!"

"Oops…" Wyvern muttered, shutting his mouth right away.

"I feel it too." Bahamut readily acquiesed. "I feel stronger than I ever have in my life. I feel like everything I was doing until now I was always too weak when I did it…like I was a baby, and now I've finally become a man."

"Let's go cream that Griever right now!" Wyvern announced proudly.

"Don't be so cocky." Jadea sternly replied. "True, your power has increased tremendously, and you apparantly did gain one of your latent abilities after all. But that is still not enough. If you went to fight Griever right now, he'd be over ten times as strong as both of you together."

Bahamut and Wyvern both turned to Jadea in shock at that. "Ten times!" Bahamut exclaimed.

"Whoa…that can't be possible!" Wyvern answered. "I've never felt this strong before in my life, I feel I could take on my entire family without breaking a sweat!"

"Believe it, Wyvern…because it is true." Jadea calmly answered. "Moreover, Griever has never even exercised his full power before in my experience. He's had no need to. Ten times is just a base level. He could easily ascend to twenty…fifty…perhaps even over a hundred times stronger than both of you. As you can see, it would be useless to try to fight him even as you are. This is only a starting point. Now that you've begun to tap into your true abilities, you can expand on them. But moreover, if there are any more of you, you can tell them to begin to develop their powers as well. Yet mark my words. Even if you reach the point where you achieve your Omniapex…that still might not be enough. You have to get the Crystal. And you must hurry. If Griever sees that you are on the human's side, he'll either destroy you or the human race rather than let his domination be broken."

Palad gasped at that, looking in fear and horror. Bahamut hesitated a moment, but then asked. "Is that true? Could he actually do that?"

Jadea sighed. "Griever's power is so strong that he could destroy this entire planet."

"Eh…" Wyvern gulped.

Bahamut himself held on for a while. Now, he was beginning to understand what Jadea had said. This was important information after all, and with it came a great responsibility. He had just basically rested the fate of the entire dark world on their shoulders, and the welfare of all the humans for generations to come. However…the blue esper thought of all the needless suffering and hardship that Palad had to endure. Him and his family. His brother…having been so mercilessly burned alive by Griever… His village…forced to live like dogs…always being cold and hungry… Someone had to stop it. And right now, Jadea had pretty much set down that they were the only ones that could. Bahamut didn't feel afraid. Rather, he felt as if he had received his true destiny now. For the first time in his life, he saw no need for questions. He felt as if he had received the truth at long last. He felt…that his purpose…his purpose in the dark world…had at last been stated.

"If there is any way to get that Crystal back," Bahamut finally spoke. "I will."

Wyvern hesitated a moment, but noticed the firmness and fortitude of Bahamut's voice. At last, he grinned. "Then you can count me in."

Palad, worried until now, looked up to the two espers. They were the strongest people he knew, and they had treated him as his friend tenderly. He had hope because of them, the ones who came from the world without Griever. And now…now that he finally knew the truth…he was confident that they could save not only him, but the rest of the world too. He beamed at them. "Thanks guys…"

Wyvern grinned in reply. "No sweat, Palad. Griever's gonna be begging me for mercy before I'm finished. I'll take his little rules, and shove them up his-"

Suddenly, Bahamut gasped. "Rules!" He exclaimed. "Crusader! Wyvern, Crusader's going to be back sometime after dawn! We have to get back!"

"In that case, you better get moving right away." Jadea replied. "You two wait outside. I have something to give your small friend before you depart."

Bahamut and Wyvern both readily nodded. After that, they began the slow and painstaking movement to exit the cave. Bahamut had a hard time not hitting anything, especially knowing his newfound strength would be a major deterrent. Wyvern was more reckless, and smashed up a few of the tools of Jadea, as well as crushed a pouch full of meat, on the way out. Jadea groaned a bit and grasped his temples, but the two espers managed to get out at last, even when both of them nearly got stuck trying to go out of the tunnel at the same time. Soon, they were back in the darkness, with dawn still a ways off.

Once out, Wyvern let out a powerful cry. "Ha-ha! I feel amazing! Next time that hulk shows his ugly face, I'll smashit in!"

"Quiet down!" Bahamut called out in a sharp whisper. "I don't want him, or any of the other fiend things, showing up!"

"What's to worry, Big B?" Wyvern answered with a shrug. "We're strong as mountains! And who cares about Griever? We can beat up on his cronies good enough."

"We don't know that." Bahamut answered flatly. "And I'm not eager to find out soon."

After a bit longer outside, the cave hides swept away to one side, and Palad walked back out again. He had a new belt on, with a few pouches tied to it. Also, it seemed that Jadea had given him a small bit of armor like Odin's, only made of bone rather than of stone or hide. He appeared to have a bit of difficulty in walking in it, but he managed to move ahead none the less toward the two espers. Once he neared them, all three looked back to Jadea, who waved to him from the entrance.

"Farewell, espers." He called out. "Until we meet again. Good luck in your endeavors. And remember, discretion is the better part of-"

Jadea was suddenly cut off. The entire cave he was in began to shake violently, as did the ground underneath it. The espers quickly put their feet out and looked around in confusion. Palad likewise formed a fearful look, and wielded his axe in front of him. Jadea, shook too much to stand up, grabbed for the side of the cave wall. As he did, Bahamut looked up to the rocky hills around them. They began to fragment and break apart, and large cracks and fissures started to appear in them…that were drawing closer and closer toward the cave where Jadea was.

At once, Bahamut realized the worst.

"Run, Jadea! He's coming! He's here!"

Jadea looked up to the esper…the last thing he ever did. Suddenly, a massive claw ripped through his chest, exploding out bone and blood from it. Jadea stared on for a moment longer, but then his eyes fell, and his body went limp. The shaking stopped, but the cave that the espers looked to began to collapse in on itself. As it did, they heard a hideous laughing from the inside, insidious and evil. Bahamut stared on in shock as he sensed the overwhelming evil emerge. Wyvern likewise gaped, for the first time able to sense the evil and power of the creature as well due to his mental training. As the cave collapsed, a massive fist bashed rocks out of the way, all while Jadea was held lifelessly on the single claw. Palad's eyes filled with tears of horror, and he turned away in terror. But that couldn't stop the hideous monster from emerging from the cave…and couldn't stop him from gazing with his horrible red eyes at all three of them, while still holding Jadea like a trophy.

"Well…look at the meal we have here…" Lich hissed. "And I'll be doing Griever a favor, getting rid of four birds with one stone instead of just three…"

* * *

To be continued...


	8. Suppertime

The two espers and young human didn't know what to do. They continued to stare in shock for a few moments, not moving. But as they did, Lich did something even more horrible, making Bahamut glad that Palad was looking away. He opened his huge mouth…and carried Jadea on his one claw over to it… He placed him inside, and brought his jaw down…

Bahamut blocked what happened next out of his memory for years, the symbol of the most sickening savagry he had ever seen in his life. All he remembered was the heartless monster working its huge, drooling jaws and hearing the crunch of bones and the smacking of flesh. He was paralyzed as he looked at it, his eyes frozen in terror. As for Palad, he cried out in terror and anguish, hearing what was going on.

"Make him go away!" He screamed.

Lich swallowed, and rubbed his bloody mouth. "Sorry, kid… I'm here for real. But don't worry, you'll never feel a thing. You're so little and can pop you right into my mouth."

At that point…all the kindness…all the restraint…all the temperance that Bahamut ever had…all of his juvenile innocence…suddenly vanished. For the first time, he saw the true face of the evil in the dark world, but didn't react with fear. Instead…he reacted with rage. Though he had already sworn the vow to Jadea, he vowed even more strongly to himself right at that second…that he would never let Lich, or Griever, get away with this.

"You monster!" Bahamut roared in a tone of rage. "You'll never touch him!"

Lich merely snickered, showing his bloody teeth. "Who's going to stop me, you oversized gecko? You?"

"No…I will!"

Both Bahamut and Lich turned their heads to the sound of this. What they saw was the red form of Wyvern, wings unfurled, feet planted, and having a dark and menacing look across his face. His hands were balled into fists, and he looked reveling in his power. He snickered darkly at the Earth Fiend.

"Heh…I'm much stronger than last time, Tiny…" He spat in insult at the creature. "And I feel like testing out my newfound power on you."

Lich merely grinned. Rather than attack, as Bahamut expected, the hideous creature merely crossed his arms. "Alright, half-pint. Give me your best shock. Make me regret devouring that old bony piece of meat or any of the other little runts like that one that I've eaten."

Wyvern grinned wider. "Don't worry. I will."

Bahamut, however, began to sweat. This wasn't good. He could tell already that Wyvern's own power was insignificant compared to Lich. Even the Earth Fiend was still far superior to them. He thought they should use their new power to escape while they can, and see if they could double or triple it before trying to fight Lich. But it was too late. Wyvern was already ready.

The red esper opened his mouth, and began to concentrate. Slowly, red light began to well in his throat. His neck began to bulge. All the time, he smiled and glared at his opponent. Lich merely crossed his arms and grinned. Palad, still leaking tears, looked up and watched what was happening. The grass around Wyvern's area began to wave, and the air became more charged. Bahamut blinked and stared, for he saw that Wyvern's power was actually growing! The red light grew brighter and brighter in his throat, until he looked like he had a fire down in it. At last, Wyvern, giving out a mighty laugh, cried out at the monster.

"Pyrin!"

Instantly, a flaming orb exploded out of Wyvern's head, causing the esper to snap his head back. The flaming ball raged straight for Lich. Bahamut gasped in amazement, and looked to the orb to see what it would do. However, his fear soon increased when he saw Lich wasn't reacting much. Instead, he stuck out a single hand, and caught the flaming orb right in it.

Immediately, the ball of fire exploded, and Bahamut, Wyvern, and Palad all turned their heads aside as the minor explosion went off. For a moment, in the darkness, it blinded all of them, for their eyes had been adjusting to the darkness for some time. Bahamut, while shielding himself, gaped in amazement. Was that one of their _weak _powers? The ability to generate fires by themselves? _Big_ fires? Bahamut continued to look away until the blast diminished, and then looked back to the destruction zone, seeing what had happened.

Much to his horror, Lich hadn't moved an inch. He was still perfectly planted on the ground. However, his face was no longer cocky and confident. Instead, it was frozen in overwhelmed shock. Bahamut found out why when he looked to his palm. While his arm and hand hadn't moved an inch, the flesh had been seared right off of his palm, leaving blackened, exposed meat and white bone from underneath.

Both Bahamut and Wyvern were shocked. Though they had done a rather good hit of damage to the creature, both of them didn't expect anything but ash to still be standing. Lich, in turn, slowly brought his hand back and turned the palm to himself. As he did, he bristled and turned purple with growing rage and anger. His red eyes blazed like the sun, and his teeth gnashed together so hard that his gums began to bleed. He was vehemently enraged, and Bahamut began to feel his own confidence shatter as the Earth Fiend increased his own fury. At last, he clenched his hand into a fist, blood flowing out of it as he did so, and glared with a murderous intent at Wyvern.

_"You BASTARD!" _He screamed in anger. _"No one has ever hurt me!"_ As he fumed in insane anger, the monster threw both of his fists at Wyvern's direction, and then screamed out his own attack. "Terra-ject!"

Wyvern blinked in stunned amazement, and maybe fear, and hesitated too long. Abruptly, the earth cracked at his feet. Before the esper could react, a tall column of rock and earth erupted straight out and smashed itself right into Wyvern's jaw. The blow sounded like thunder as it connected, and Wyvern, his eyes instantly dazzled, and dripping blood from his mouth as he flew back, was flung in a backward arch through the air, After sailing backward a good hundred feet, he connected to the ground, and instantly went limp. He lay flat on the ground and moved no more.

"I'll rip your heart out and devour it first!" The monster sneered. With that, he put his hands at his sides and opened them. Immediately, Bahamut saw the long claws from before extend, and gleam razor sharp in whatever dim light was in the area. After that, he suddenly crouched, and then leapt into the air. He left a crater on the ground in his wake as he shot high into it, and Bahamut realized in an instant that he was planning on smashing down on Wyvern. The blow would more than likely be fatal if it hit. Filling with fear, Bahamut instantly extended his wings and went into action.

Forgetting about Palad for a moment, the esper shot over to Wyvern as fast as he could. It didn't take long at all, given his additional power. He kneeled down next to him, grasped him by the shoulders, and struggled to get him up. "Move, Wyvern!" He screamed at him. "Get up!"

"Uh…" His brother answered, blood leaking from his lip. "A'hm…the strongest… Damn sucker punch…"

Bahamut began to sweat, and looked back up to the sky. He heard a hideous laugh as he did so. The monster was already on his way down, claws extended to impale his brother. The esper realized he had to act. But how? He wasn't any more of a match for Lich than Wyvern was. His Pyrin wouldn't leave any more of a scratch on Lich than Wyvern's had. That was…unless… Suddenly, a memory entered into Bahamut's mind…a memory about what happened that one day that they were playing…and how just a simple blow from Wyvern had ended up being so painful and debilitating for the blue esper.

Immediately, Bahamut planted his own legs and extended his own wings. He called to mind his new powers, and quickly began to concentrate them. Soon, he felt the heat swelling within his own belly. He felt the wind began to whip around his feet. He felt the charge in the air and the heat increase in his stomach. Then, as if the words were screaming like an undeniable pain he could no longer hold in, he opened his mouth and bellowedthe words. Having had no practice with this attack before, he struggled to aim right and prayed it would hit.

"Pyrin!"

Bahamut felt his head snapped back as the fiery orb shot out of his mouth. Just as he had hoped, Lich was so intent on finishing this fight that he didn't withdraw his arms to guard himself. The orb soared through the sky, and finally embedded itself right smack dab in the middle of its intended target…Lich's left eye.

Another blinding explosion went off for a moment, and as the heat and air of it rushed over Bahamut he turned his head away. Meanwhile, Lich's own head was snapped backward and his body thrown a little back, making him land right on the ground in front of Bahamut and Wyvern rather than on it. However, he landed on his feet, and instantly reached both of his arms to the smoldering crater in his head. Then, he bellowed the worst sound yet.

"ARRRRRRRRRRGH!"

Bahamut didn't waste a second. In a flash, he darted back over to Palad and scooped the youth up in his arms. He whirled around soon afterward, and shot back over to Wyvern. He still looked dazzled, but it didn't matter to the esper. He shot into the air and grabbed him with his rear claws. With his new power, he was more than able to carry them both as well as move fast. That he did. As fast and as hard as he could, he began to shoot into the sky and put as much distance between himself and Lich as possible. Even as he did, he heard the thing cry out below him.

_"YOU BASTARD! YOU SON OF A BITCH! THIS ISN'T OVER! I'LL FIND YOU! I'LL BITE YOUR DAMN HEAD OFF! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"_

Bahamut didn't linger for the threats. He began to shoot into the sky as hard and as fast as possible, praying the whole time that Lich was in too much pain and anguish to follow them right away. As he shot up and away, Wyvern began to come too. Still, it took a while before he risked letting him go. He flew hard and fast, sweating and panting, getting as distant as he could from that monster and from the horrible sight that had taken place at Jadea's. He rushed as quickly as possible for ten whole minutes, panting and heaving and sweating the whole time. When that happened, he suddenly heard a voice from below.

"Hey! Bahamut! I think we're clear! Let me go already!"

Bahamut didn't look down, but recognized Wyvern's voice. "We're not clear…not from that monster…" He spoke in a panicked voice. "Not until I put at least a hundred miles between me and him."

"Bahamut! We're back at the village, for crying out loud!"

Bahamut gasped a bit longer, but then finally looked down. He was shocked at what he saw, and let go of Wyvern in his surprise. The red esper quickly unfurled his own wings and flew up to his side. Where before Bahamut had flown at what he considered a snail's pace, he was now shooting by as fast as one of those Pyrin attacks. With his newfound power, Bahamut realized that he had closed the distance that had taken two hours in only ten minutes. Indeed, Griever's statue shone out in the single fire far below. It was Palad's village.

Bahamut also began to realize just how tired he was. He panted and sweat, and looked up to Wyvern. His wings ached, and his brow was still pouring liquid as his heart pounded. He blinked, and then spoke to Wyvern again. "You alright?"

Wyvern frowned and rubbed his lip. "I'm a bit puffy in here, but that's cake compared to what I'll do to him next time."

Bahamut didn't want to think of next time right now. He looked down to Palad instead. "Are you alright too?"

Palad quivered in Bahamut's grasp, still looking nervous and scared. "Y-y-yes…" He managed to stammer. Bahamut realized that the poor child looked traumatized. He didn't blame him. That was the most horrible thing he had ever witnessed. "But…Jadea…" The boy began to say. But before he could finish, he began to shake like a leaf and started to cry. He pressed his head in Bahamut's chest, and the esper sighed and hugged him tightly. In reality, the esper wished that Crusader was there to hug him as well. He needed it too. But he was the "big brother" here. And he remembered the responsibility that Jadea had given him. He had to be strong. He had to, not only for Palad but for the whole race. So he supported the small human and hugged him tightly as he cried. Wyvern merely stood on the sidelines for a while, keeping his own head bowed. But at last, he rose his own head and nodded.

"Don't worry, Palad. Next time I meet Lich…I promise you the only thing that's going to be left is a pile of bones."

Bahamut hesitated a moment, but then spoke as well. "Palad…your family will be fine. Everyone's going to be fine. I promised it before, and I promise it now. I won't let that happen again."

Palad sniffled a bit longer, but gradually grew stronger. At length, he was able to push his head away, and look up to Bahamut. Then, slowly, he managed to nod to him. After he had done so, he exhaled, and forced himself to be strong. This wasn't the first time he had seen death, after all. But it was the first time he had seen it so terrible… However, he would be strong for now. He would perservere. He'd be brave, just like Bahamut and Wyvern. At last stable, Bahamut turned from him and looked up to Wyvern.

"Alright…let's go home. We've got to tell the others a lot."

* * *

Soon, the three of them were taking off again for the exit of the dark world. Dawn was coming soon, they knew, and were eager to be getting back as soon as possible. In the clouds of this world, it was too hard to see if dawn was coming until it was too late. They wanted to rush back as fast as they could. Luckily, that wasn't a problem. Palad had to be held by Bahamut this time as the two powered up espers shot through the sky like bolts of lightning. The journey that had taken a few hours last time was crossed within a fraction of that time, only a mere half hour at full speed. There were no more sights of Lich or anything else, thankfully. Bahamut knew he'd have a lot of work ahead of him before he could be a match for that monster, him or Wyvern, together or separate.

Yet soon, the two espers arrived at the hole in the sky again. They once again rose, and in much shorter time were soon through the portal. Again, black and wind swirled around them, but it only took a short period before they emerged back into the basin of mountains. Ultima Nexus, Bahamut decided, had never looked so good. At least they had a safe haven, if nothing else. Here they could practice and train and build themselves up without fear. What more, as both espers came into Ultima Nexus and the more pleasant atmosphere, they saw that the sky was only now starting to turn a light shade of dark blue. They still had plenty of time. Most of the stars and the moon were still out.

The two of them quickly ascended the cliffs and tore onto the other side. Abruptly, they had to slow themselves down, or they'd be on the other end of Ultima Nexus within seconds. However, they didn't realize their mistake until they were already almost down the mountain on the other side. They quickly dropped speed afterward though, and rushed toward one of the more open plains, where they had been yesterday. No one was out this time. Typically, all of the other espers had gone to bed long ago, and wouldn't be up again for hours. But it didn't matter. They knew they had left, and would keep a secret. The two espers touched down, and promptly let Palad down as well. He rushed a short distance from them, leaving the two espers to stand and look at each other.

"Alright…" Wyvern spoke at last. "What now?"

"Now, I teach you how to meditate." Bahamut answered. "Then we both work our tails off beefing ourselves up."

"What about the others?" Palad asked.

"We'll tell them when they wake up." Bahamut answered. "That is, assuming that we can get them to go willingly into the dark world."

"Tell us what?"

The trio froze at hearing that, and turned their attention to who had spoken. Standing at a distance, against one of the rocks in Ultima Nexus, stood Odin. Even with the horns on his helmet, his black attire and cape had almost entirely obscured him from view. He stared at them coldly with his own burning gaze, and slowly leaned off of the rock. He then began to march toward the three of them.

"Oh…I didn't know you were up, Odin." Bahamut nervously replied.

"I've been waiting for you to come back." Odin answered. "I assumed that whatever you found would be of rather good interest. And seeing from how fast you came tearing down the mountain ridge, I'd say you found something rather good."

All three of them became a little nervous. Whether they were planning on telling Odin or not, the esper was dark and forboding, and he didn't communicate any good sense of confidence through his presence. "You saw that?" Bahamut asked nervously.

"Tell me." Odin flatly stated, nearly commanding. "What did you learn down there?"

* * *

_"Bastards…filthy bastards…they took my eye… I'll kill them…"_

_"Relax, fool. You're so mad you'll lose your other eye when you go to fight them. The only way I can see that you lost the first one is because you were being stupid. Use your tiny brain for once."_

_"Feh…can't even handle a pair of espers and a human child? You're losing your touch, Lich…assuming you ever had one."_

_"Shut up, Kary! Don't enrage me like this!"_

_"You be silent, Fiend of Earth…don't waste your Z Transformation on a petty argument, or you'll wish that the esper took more than your eye. Because of your stupidity they're now leaving to become stronger."_

_"Heh…nothing stronger than me, master."_

_"Good. You'll have a chance to match that boasting soon. I'm bringing them back here, and not giving them the chance to get stronger."_

_"Eh? You don't fear their strength, do you Griever?"_

_SMACK._

_"Insult me like that again and I _will _take your other eye. And address me as master, freak. This is an act of courtesy to you, before you have any more flesh stripped off your bones. You should be rejoicing me for giving you a second chance."_

_"How do we lure them back, master?"_

_"Strong as their mental power is, mine is stronger. It doesn't matter if they're in another world. I can reach them no matter what. And I want to send them a little message. Meanwhile, you two…"_

_"Two! Master, let me destroy them!"_

_"SILENCE! You've had your chance, Lich. You're lucky to be getting another. And do not fail me again. As I said, you and Kary are to go to one particular human village. I'd like to pay a visit to this…Palad's…friends and relatives…"

* * *

_

When Bahamut had concluded, Odin looked remarkably unchanged. Rather, he still maintained his cold look, stared at the ground, and thought over all that he had heard. The news had barely seemed to phase him at all, which was a shock to both Bahamut and Wyvern. Still, he stood in silence a while, arms crossed and thinking, while the trio stood and waited. The sun was moving up higher and higher during all this. The stars had all vanished, the atmosphere turned lighter, and the moon was quickly fading away. Crusader should be coming back soon, Bahamut realized. Odin, at last, snorted and gave a short nod.

"Well…that explains why Crusader doesn't want us going down to that world, especially if this Griever character is even stronger than her." Odin looked up and gazed at both espers. He hesitated a moment, but then shrugged. "Very well. You've convinced me. Being the warrior esper, I've wanted to try out my skills for some time now. From now on, take me with you when you head back to the dark world."

Bahamut swallowed a bit uneasily at that. Wyvern rolled his eyes and groaned. At length, the blue esper formed an uneasy grin. "Thanks just the same, Odin, but I think you should develop some of your powers too before you go. Otherwise you'll be, quite honestly, a pushover. We're much stronger than before but we barely did anything to Lich. Besides, I'd like it better if you just tried to get the others on our side too. You may be eager for a fight, but getting the other four want to willingly break Crusader's rules and go into the dark world may be a bit harder."

Odin merely snorted. "Don't worry. I can convince the others. But you still need me. I don't think you understand the full significance of my-"

"AH!"

All three espers stopped talking and instantly turned their heads to Palad. The young man's eyes were wide with fear, and he collapsed to his knees. He grasped either side of his head and began to sweat bullets, as more tears fell from him. The other three were immediately concerned. Bahamut rushed to Palad's side in an instant, as the young man grit his teeth and made his hands into fists at the sides of his head. Wyvern rushed in close as well, and Odin reacted and moved over to stand over all three of them. Palad continued to cry out, and said nothing, just cried.

"Palad!" Bahamut exclaimed. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Palad didn't answer. His face continued to look horrified, and he moved his hands to his eyes, as if desperately trying to shut them. But he only cried out more hysterically, turning his body over and beginning to writhe on it. Bahamut quickly picked him up and began to shake him while the other two crowded in. "Palad! Palad! Snap out of it!"

The young human continued to cry out for a few moments longer, unable to stop for even an instant. Yet, at last, he suddenly went limp, like someone straining under a heavy load finally relaxing. He went limp in Bahamut's grasp, and instantly the blue esper placed him back on the ground once again. The others crowded in, and Palad gasped and panted. He was covered with sweat as if he had been terrified once again. For a while, they could get nothing from him as he struggled to catch his breath. The other espers stayed close, waiting for him to do something or say something. At last, the boy blinked, and then looked back up to the espers.

"Bahamut!" He called out in anguish. "It's…it's my family! I saw them in trouble! Lich is going to them! And there's another one too! She looks like Starlet…only she's like a living fire! She's mean and evil! I know she is! She wants to kill them too!"

Bahamut looked up in a flash over to the other two espers. Both of them had stunned looks in their eyes. However, none was so strong as what Bahamut had in his mind. That monster hadn't learned his lesson. He was already going to attack again. Or worse…he was trying to draw him out. He wanted him to come and fight, so there he could finish him off. And he had help this time. Judging from what Palad had said, it sounded like the Fiend of Fire. Bahamut swallowed at that. He feared fire ever since the first time he saw it, and even the fact that he learned how to breathe it would not help his fear. This was obviously a trap…a trap for them. Griever knew about them for sure now, and wanted them to come out.

Yet at the same time, Bahamut looked and saw Palad's terrified face. The poor child…forced to endure so many tragedies. And all at the hands of that monster Griever. Now his family was in trouble, the very family that had spurned him but he felt himself eternally bonded too. Not only them, but the whole village. And at the hands of that thing called Lich…that he knew ate his victims whole. What would the Fiend of Fire do? And even if she did nothing, what would Lich do? He'd devour all of them… Bahamut already knew what he had promised. He had promised himself as much as Palad. He wouldn't let that happen again. Never again. Lich had to pay and had to pay today. Bahamut decided the matter in an instant. Foolhardy as it might be…he had to strike back.

"I'm going." Bahamut simply said. Then, without another word of hesitation, he unfurled his wings and took off into the sky. Before either of them could say a single word, Bahamut rushed off as full speed back toward the mountain range.

"Hey, wait up!" Wyvern cried out. "Save some of Tiny for me!" Immediately, he took off as well and rushed after Bahamut. Odin and Palad were left behind. The former frowned and cried out to them.

"You idiots! Crusader will be back soon!" He cried out to them. "At least let me come with you!" But it was already too late. Using their newfound power, they both were over the mountains in a flash, and were rapidly descending down the portal. Odin was left clenching his teeth in anger behind them, left behind and able to do very little, if anything, at all. Palad blinked a little, and then turned up to him.

"What now, Odin?"

Odin stood and stared for a moment, staring cold and hard out at the portal and the mountains that were in front of it. He didn't say anything for a while, just merely calculated and planned inside his mind. However, after a few short moments, he finally turned back down to Palad.

"Get to my cave and hide there." He stated. "Crusader can't see you when she gets back. I'll come with you. And once we get there…tell me as best as you can where your village is in the dark world."

* * *

Bahamut rushed as fast as possible. Now, utilizing his full speed, it didn't take him any time at all to be through the portal and back to the dark world. Using the power of gravity, he let himself drop while pushing himself, and slowly arched his flight until he was even with the tree line. The effect sent him soaring, without using much effort at all. However, he pumped himself even harder than that. As fast as he had rushed to get out of the dark world, and away from one Fiend, he was rushing back to meet one up and fight two of them. He wished only that he was even stronger, so he could get there even quicker.

However, he soon saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw who it was. Wyvern was just now catching up with him, his look bold and cocky, and rushing as fast as he possibly could. He turned and grinned at his brother. "Didn't think you were leaving without me, did you?"

Bahamut merely frowned coldly. "Go back, Wyvern. It's too dangerous."

"Exactly why you need me to help you out." Wyvern replied confidently.

Bahamut frowned nonetheless. "We can't beat either of these monsters in a straight on fight. We'll be struck down like we were nothing if we try. We have to use our brains if we're going to have a chance at victory."

Wyvern sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. But I'm still coming along. If I don't stand a chance against them, you definitely don't either. Maybe together we could make a difference."

"I hope you're right." Bahamut replied with a groan. "We didn't do too well last time. I only hope that Lich is slowed down somewhat by the injuries we gave him. And we have to watch out for that Terra-ject attack. And we also have to make sure that both of them don't pull out anything else that surprises us."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Wyvern spoke in reply. "Let's just get there."

* * *

Lich gnawed on a femur, frowning the whole time. His left eye, now a burnt, scarred mass leading into a crater, still hurt, which only fueled his overwhelming hatred for the two espers. He no longer cared much for human flesh. He wanted their blood and meat. Kary leaned nearby on the statue of Griever. Her face was livid and pale, like she was more of the living dead than merely alive. Her teeth were filled with needle-sharp fangs, and her hair flowed behind her wild and free. She was dressed in the colors of fire with high-heeled boots. Strapped to her back was her pride and joy…the Pyrosuken, inside its flaming-colored sheath. Bored, she generated a ball of fire in her hand and began to throw it up and down in the one palm. Lich gnawed on his bone a moment longer, then suddenly threw it away so hard that it shattered against a tree.

"Where are they!" He boomed.

"Calm your temper." Kary calmly answered. "They may be fast now, but it will still take them a while to get here. It's only now dawn."

Lich hissed none the less. "They'll pay dearly for what they did to me… Left me a hideous deformed freak…"

Kary snorted and grinned. "I think they may have actually left an improvement."

Lich turned to her and sneered. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, witch. You wouldn't be so cocky if I had my Z Transformation."

Kary merely chuckled. "If you had your Z Transformation, numbskull…I could light you up like so much dry kindling. Keep that in mind and keep your threatening isolated to Kraken."

Lich turned and sneered again. However, as he did, Kary looked up to the sky. Her grin widened a bit, as she saw two dark shapes against the gray clouds. "Well…looks like they finally decided to arrive."

Lich looked up from the clearing as well. Sure enough, he saw the two espers closing in fast. He grinned madly, showing all of his drooling, bloody teeth. The two espers, one a blue winged esper and the other a red winged esper, closed in quickly, looking like they had already spotted the two Fiends below.

* * *

Bahamut had indeed seen them already. They were in the clearing where the humans had been. At least, it was a clearing now. Ash was welled up on the sides all around it for a considerable distance, all that was left of the surrounding trees. He saw a number of blackened marks on the ground, surrounding another blackened pit that had been the fire. There were also piles of bloody bones. The esper didn't like the look of this. The only thing that remained now was the statue of Griever, and two forms in front of it. Just as Palad had described…there the two Fiends were. Lich was one, and the other had to be the Fire Fiend. Bahamut took a deep breath in, then swept his feet down. He quickly dropped, and within a few moments touched down on the ground, his feet sinking into ash. Moments later, Wyvern touched down next to him. The two espers now stood before the two Fiends.

Bahamut stared coldly at them both, while both of them stared back with menacing stares. Both of them smiled, looking rather amused at the whole arrangement. Wyvern likewise smiled at them, itching to deform Lich's face even more than before. Both sides were silent for a while, until Bahamut began to look around the area. In the end, he looked back to the two Fiends.

"Where are the humans?"

"Some of them were burned alive." Kary coolly replied, her malicious voice thick and brimming with evil. "However, Lich fed on most of them."

Bahamut's eyes widened. "What?" He exclaimed in shock. "You…you killed them all?"

"What'd you expect us to do, lizard?" Lich sneered with a grin.

Bahamut instantly flushed in anger. "I knew you were challenging us the whole time! Why didn't you wait for us to get here!"

"Tsk, tsk, blue man." Kary calmly answered. "When did we ever agree to that?"

"Don't worry." Lich spoke with an evil smile, patting his stomach. "I've got more than enough room left for the both of you. And I'll start by ripping out _your _eyes and eating them. No cheating this time. I have you both on a straight on fight."

Wyvern merely grinned. "I've a better idea for you, slimebag, and your little firebrand. Why don't you run home to Griever while you still can, before I give you another crater in your face to match the first one?"

"Hmph…stupid creatures." Kary spoke with a sigh, shaking her head. "Babbling things they don't even understand."

Bahamut merely sneered. "You'll pay for them, Lich. Each one of them."

"You talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" The Earth Fiend hissed in reply.

"This is futile." Kary simply stated. "Neither of you have a chance against either of us. I thought your powers would be something considerable, but you're both as weak as infants. Lich alone could take you. I'm not even going to bother getting warmed up for this pathetic excuse for a fight. I'll simply enjoy Lich ramming your big words back down your overly long necks."

Lich turned his head and brightened at this. "Really? Heh…I'll take back some of the things I said about you, Kary."

"Save it, toad." Kary replied with a sneer. "I'm only doing it because these two are an absolute joke. The only thing I find funnier is that you actually lost to them."

Lich bristled with fury again. "I did not lose! They ran away!" The Earth Fiend wheeled toward both of them. Sneering, and nearly foaming at his sharp teeth, he stomped forward and put himself at a distance from Kary. The Fire Fiend calmly continued to lean against the statue. He glared at both of them, and Bahamut began to grow nervous. "You humiliated me before Griever! I'm going to take it out on your rotting corpses!"

Bahamut immediately braced himself. Wyvern quickly did the same, with a much more dangerous look. "Follow my lead, Wyvern." Bahamut coldly commanded. "We have to take him together. It's the only chance we'll get at beating him."

Wyvern snorted. "Fine. Let's just make it quick."

Bahamut swallowed. Quick was definitely not what he was thinking of. In fact, he was starting to realize the stupidity of coming here. He knew that the people would be dead by the time he got back. And now they were stuck here too, with not just one but two fiends. One of them alone was more than enough for them both. How were they supposed to take two of them? He merely drew in a deep breath, exhaled…and then took off toward Lich. Wyvern did so soon afterward, and both of them matched speed as they raced toward the Earth Fiend.

Lich merely grinned and stood still the entire time as they came. As he neared, Bahamut reared back his claw and prepared to let Lich have it full force. Wyvern did the same, and when they reached him they put all their power from their charge into it to hit him as hard as possible. Lich merely raised both of his arms straight in a guard fashion, and their fists smashed into his forearms ineffectually. The Earth Fiend didn't budge an inch. Immediately, both Bahamut and Wyvern broke off, shooting about twenty feet away from him to either side. Now, both on opposite sides, they charged forward again, this time bringing up their claw foots for the Earth Fiend's side. Lich, never even looking at them, merely smiled and brought his hands out to block them both at once again. Quickly, both shot up and hauled off to hit Lich in the head. Once again, he merely raised his hands and stopped them both with his forearms. Infuriated, both of them moved to an opposite angle, one behind and one in front, and hauled off with three hard blows to the Earth Fiend. None of them left any effect at all on the creature, who blocked them just as easily as before.

Getting furious, Bahamut opened his huge mouth and forward to bite down on the monster. Wyvern did the same. Lich laughed out loud, turned where he was, then shot out both fists like meteorites from the sky. Both smashed into either face of the espers, and sent them both flying off in either direction. They tumbled for a moment, but landed on their feet at the end. They both braced themselves, opened their mouths next, and began to summon Pyrins at once. Lich continued to grin, just standing there. Bahamut hoped, for a moment, that the blockhead would be stupid enough to try and block both again. However, when they both fired at once, he quickly saw that wasn't the case. The Earth Fiend merely squatted and leapt into the air. Both Pyrins collided and exploded in a blinding flash. Both Bahamut and Wyvern turned their heads away…giving Lich enough time to hold out either hand to both of them and call on his Terra-ject attack. Moments later, columns of rock exploded out of the ground and smashed hard into both of their stomachs. Both of them shot off the ground for a moment, then collapsed again. They coughedtogether, and both spat up blood on the ground.

Bahamut, teeth clenched, looked back up to Lich, who still was smiling without a scratch on him. Wyvern also raised up, and snarled at the monster. Finally, he looked to Bahamut and snapped out at him. "The only thing we're doing together is getting beaten together! I'm taking him now!" With that, the red esper shot forward for the Earth Fiend.

"Wyvern! No!" Bahamut called. Instantly, he tore out after him.

Wyvern soon reached Lich, and swung his fists at him. Lich merely blocked both punches, then ducked slightly to avoid Wyvern's tail sweeping at his head. Bahamut reached his other side at that point, and both espers kicked him at once, both from different angles and heights. Lich blocked both, then proceeded to kick Wyvern in the stomach and send him flying out of the way, and uppercutted Bahamut to send the flying creature into the air unintentionally. Lich then turned full attention to Wyvern, who had been sent flying back and was now holding his chest and coughing.

"You want me, little nothing?" Lich bellowed. "Here I come!"

Lich, despite his size, shot forward with remarkable speed and was soon upon Wyvern. While the red esper kept coughing, Lich smashed him in the face with a meaty fist, sending his head snapping into one direction. Lich then hauled off and struck him in the stomach…once…twice…and on the third time made a cracking noise. Wyvern gagged, all the air knocked out of his body. After that, the Earth Fiend seized him by the head, and with a malicious grin drove him headfirst through a few tree trunks. Each time, he broke his skull right through the tree, knocking the huge plant over. Wyvern cried out less and less each time, and a bloody wound burst out on the crown of his head which became bloodier with each blow. Lich grinned at him maliciously after this was done, holding the near lifeless body in one fist, throttling him.

"Pyrin!"

Lich turned his head slightly to the left, then with a cackle leapt into the air. However…he left Wyvern behind. Bahamut watched in shock and terror as his brother was powerless to move out of the way of the blast. It connected with his limp body and exploded, and Wyvern, somewhere in the midst of semi-consciousness, cried out in agony as the Pyrin seared his flesh and caused him to writhe.

"Terra-ject!"

Bahamut gasped at the sound of that, and quickly looked down to the ground. But it was too late. Immediately, the columns of the ground began to rip out of it, and thundered right for him. Bahamut tried to summon a Pyrin to counter, but it was already too late. The columns of rock pummeled him, beating his torso again and again with powerful blows. One bashed into his throat and crushed his windpipe. Bahamut gagged blood afterward…until one more rock column smashed itself into his head. When that happened, all of Bahamut's world went dizzy and swirled. Unable to stay in the air, Bahamut's wings went limp and he began to fall…

But Lich was not through with the creature who partially blinded him. He was still in the air, and he caught Bahamut as he was going down. He opened his mouth full of fierce, jagged teeth, and sank his fangs deep into Bahamut's bad shoulder. The esper cried out in anguish as blood began to fountain from the wound and his wing muscles became injured, keeping him from flying anymore even if he had enough energy too. Moaning in agony, he fell to the ground once again. Lich road him the whole way, positioning himself over the small of Bahamut's back. When he landed on the ground, Lich's full weight was smashed onto it. Bahamut cried out again, throwing up blood as he was embedded partially in the ground. Lich laughed in delight.

Neither esper could fight anymore. Within seconds, it had all been ended. It hadn't even taken a full minute to beat them both. Bahamut, in his faint traces of consciousness, began to groan at himself for being stupid enough to actually think he could take Lich. He knew the whole time the monster was stronger than him, and he had come back to fight him anyway. His intentions being good meant nothing. If he didn't have the power to finish him, he was nothing. He learned that in the worst way possible now. But there was nothing more he could do but lay in a bloody, broken heap. Lich could take his time eating him and killing him. Bahamut felt a great depression well up in him. He had failed. They had failed. Jadea had counted on them…Palad had counted on them…humanity had counted on them…yet it was all already over within instants.

Lich walked off of Bahamut, flexed his huge muscles, and laughed in triumph. "He-he-he! I win! Ha-ha! You little bastards! You thought you could so easily beat me, didn't you? I am the almighty Fiend of Earth! I command all of its powers! You never had a prayer against me! You should have stayed home with mommy and never set foot on this world again, especially after daring to take out my eye!"

"That was rather pathetic…" Kary mused. "I really don't see why Griever wanted me to come…or how you actually had trouble with them the first time. Anyway, let's hurry this up. Finish them both off."

Lich turned to Kary, and grinned even wider and more sinisterly. "With pleasure." He seethed. After that, he turned back to Bahamut. He glared down at him with his one good red eye left, and pointed a claw at him menacingly. "You die first, you leather bat. Let's see how you like it when I tear out _your_ eye."

Bahamut merely stared back defiantly, the last thing he could do. The least thing that could happen was that he died with some semblence of honor. He determined not to cry out in pain or anguish, and prayed that Odin, the esper they had thankfully told everything too, would one day be strong enough to come and beat these two and the other Fiends, and get the Crystal back while they were at it. But he didn't see how… It would take decades to get strong enough even to beat Lich… Yet it wasn't his concern anymore. Nothing would be in a few moments…as Lich lowered his talon to Bahamut's eye.

"I'd get away from him if I were you."

Hearing that, Lich hesitated, and looked up to the sound of the voice. Kary, Bahamut, and Wyvern also looked to the source, though the latter two were too drained to get up and do anything at that moment. They all soon saw the cold persona who had spoken in that cold tone. He stood calmly in the middle of the clearing, next to a huge blue/gray horse. His black cape was swept around him, and he glared out at his opposition with two red eyes. His body was laced with muscle, and his entire body seemed primed for combat with the Fiends ever since the day he was born.

Odin was here.

* * *

To be continued...

BTW, you may have noticed unusual names for magical attacks. I created a fake language based off of Greek roots for that purpose. "Pyr Fire", "Terra Earth", "Ject To Throw".


	9. The Bluff

"No… Odin…" Bahamut moaned. "Run away…" He tried to beg.

Lich noticed him saying this, and grinned widely. "Listen to your fellow weakling, esper." He spoke with a laugh. He crossed his arms confidently in front of him. "I'll lay you just as flat as these two if you even try to challenge me. And no matter how hard an outer covering you have, I'll still shell you and devour the flesh inside."

"Hmm…" Kary mused near the statue. "I didn't think there were supposed to be three espers. No matter, though. This one's just as weak as the others. Weaker."

"Two? Three? What's it matter?" Lich spoke with a grin. "He's meat for me, just like his friends."

Odin glared darkly back, but took a moment to look over the area. He saw the piles of black ash, the bloody bones, and all of the destruction that had already been wrought in Lich and Kary's wake. Yet, Bahamut quickly realized, it didn't effect him much. He still remained firm and confidant. He betrayed not the slightest emotion. After a length of time, he turned his head back to Lich and Kary. His face was still dark and cold, not showing any emotion at all rather than his seriousness. He stood silent while Lich grinned maliciously back at him. Finally, Odin snorted at him.

"I'm not like the others." He finally said. "I am the warrior esper."

Lich merely sneered and pretended to tremble. "Stop it. You're terrifying me."

Odin calmly reached up to his neck and began to undo his cape. "You see…" He continued, now seeming to be addressing Bahamut and Wyvern as much as Lich. "I've known my destiny ever since I was born. I was born to be the greatest warrior of the espers. I was born to be their eternally victorious knight. While the espers played games, I trained every day my body and fortitude. I also mastered the Zantetsuken, the greatest weapon in the world." With that finished, Odin grasped the edge of his cape, and then merely flung it aside. His armored body was revealed, and strapped to his side was the sword he prized so heavily in its sheath.

Lich merely pretended to whine and cry. "Oh please don't hurt me." He chided.

"It's too late to beg for mercy." Odin coldly answered. "Long ago, I swore myself in as defender of humans, ever since that little one arrived in my home. You threaten not only the human race but everything that is good and just in the world, and you represent the greatest evil and oppression I have ever heard of before in my life. For that, I will destroy you. The retribution for your crimes has come today."

Lich merely opened his huge mouth and laughed loudly, dripping Bahamut's own blood off his teeth. "You stupid fool! That's the third time I've heard that! Yet look what has happened… Two espers nearly dead at my feet. You are pathetic. Your whole race is pathetic. I am an owner of this world. I'll do whatever I want, whenever I want, forever. And there isn't a thing in the world you can do to stop me, especially not in that puny body you have!"

Odin merely stared back coldly. "My entire life I spent with the tactics for battle in my mind. All of their skills I have mastered. Yet you know nothing of combat, just of being an ugly deformation of a creature. So I will teach you the first rule of combat right now...appearances can be deceiving."

At that, Odin reached to his side, grasped the handle of the Zantetsuken, and yanked it out. Almost immediately…for the first time ever…Bahamut and Wyvern saw Odin's true power. The grass and ashes at his feet began to blow, the latter forming a huge cloud as Odin's power was released. The dark esper's muscles appeared to bulge and enlarge, and the wind and energy charging the air was so strong that even from where he lay Bahamut could feel it. Odin's eyes blazed, and his feet began to dig into the ground. Lich's face turned to one of surprise, but Kary's face looked even more surprised as she stared at him from the statue. For the first time, she leaned off of the statue and stared at the new arrival. Odin grit his teeth and continued to brim with power. Bahamut stared in shock. He could sense his strength…and it was growing phenominally. Much to his shock…it surpassed both of them put together within seconds, and kept rising! Odin continued to grunt and strain for a few moments, but finally was at maximum power. The wind died down, the air stopped being charged, and Odin exhaled as he relaxed.

Wyvern blinked in wide-eyed shock. "He's…really…that strong!"

Odin grinned gently and merely began to crack his neck. "I have not evoked my true power in ages…fearful that I would inadvertantly destroy my brothers and sisters. But no longer. Now I get to relish this combat at maximum."

Lich hesitated for a brief moment, but then grinned maliciously again. "It doesn't matter how strong you become. The Four Fiends will always be overwhelmingly stronger. I'll spread you just like I did your puny little brothers, whether or not you have some pathetic sword."

Kary, however, reared up and snapped at the Earth Fiend. "Use your brain, you fool! His power is almost equal to yours now!"

Lich turned his head slightly to Kary and uttered a "huh"…which was all the opening that Odin was looking for. The powerful esper shot forward in a flash, three times as fast as Bahamut or Wyvern had, and started off by giving the Earth Fiend the back of his hand in the opposite direction. Instantly, Lich's head snapped around wildly as his cheek turned red, his eyes frozen in shock. Odin didn't let up, quickly smashing his fist three more times into Lich's gut, causing the Fiend of Earth to double over. With his head now perfect, Odin swung his sword right at his face, slashing the tissue and mesentaries that connected one side of his jaw to his face. Lich's eyes froze in shock again, before Odin nimbly jumped into the air and kicked a foot straight up, catching Lich right in the chin. The huge Earth Fiend staggered back as another red mark appeared across his face.

"Unbelievable…" Bahamut uttered in amazement.

Lich, however, quickly recovered, and soon began to turn purple again. He reached up to his face, and felt his disconnected jaw. Immediately, he fumed as blood poured out of the wound. _"YOU WEAKLING!" _He drooled and screamed at once, then shot forward and began his warpath attack. Odin remained cool and controlled the entire time, and nimbly dodged Lich's first fist. The creature swung at him again, but he stepped back, and then to the side to avoid Lich's next blow. He swiped his other fist in a backhand, but missed again. Odin took the chance to slash his arm with the Zantetsuken.

"UGH!" Lich screamed in rage. He crouched and lunged with super speed at Odin. The warrior esper quickly dropped to his legs, and rolled out of the way. The moment he got up, Lich swung his fists at him again, going twice as fast this time. But Odin nimbly darted his head to the side, tucked his stomach in, and all together frustrated every attempt of Lich to hit him. After vainly trying to strike him with both fists at once, Odin ducked inward and smashed his horned helmet right into Lich's skull, causing him to stagger back as blood shot out from the wound. His one good eye looked disorientated.

"Rule number two." Odin calmly stated. "It doesn't matter how strong you are, if you don't know how to fight. You should practice more."

Lich, of course, was even more enraged by this. He charged at Odin again, who simply leapt into the air and brought down both heels on the back of the Earth Fiend's neck. The creature cried out and fell to the ground, and Odin leapt off his body to deliver an axe-kick into the small of the sprawled-out monster's back. Lich screamed in anguish, and quickly leapt back to his feet. He swung again at Odin, who merely leapt over him with a nimble mid-air somersault, landed on the creature's other side, and then sliced open his back with his sword. Lich screamed in anguish, and tried to backhand him, only to have Odin nimbly duck and then smash his own fist into the creature's face. Lich scowled and swung his huge fist at Odin's head. Odin caught the blow with his arm, twisted in order to hold Lich for a moment, then with his other fist, not holding the sword, beat Lich three times in the stomach before smashing him in the face with an iron palm so hard that the thing's nose was instantly broken, and it went flying backward and to the ground. Odin merely straightened himself and cracked his neck, not even sweating.

"That's impossible!" Wyvern called out. "How…how…how could he…"

Lich, however, was far from beaten. He rolled back to a seated position, and held out his hand at Odin. "Terra-ject!"

Odin's eyes widened for a moment, but his other senses were in full effect. He felt the ground beneath his feet, heard it begin to crack, and at just the right moment ducked out of the way. The stone column narrowly missed him. However, another erupted in his new location soon after, and Odin had to dodge that one as well just barely. Another one erupted at his latest spot, forcing him to dodge again. Frowning, he changed tactics and began a series of somersault jumps forward, toward the hapless Lich. Lich's eye widened, and he tried to hit Odin even harder than before. But the esper was too strong and fast, and continued to somersault forward, dodging each and every column out of the ground while always getting closer. At last, Odin was right on top of him. He brought his sword down again, and sliced open the flesh between two of Lich's fingers. The Earth Fiend cried out in agony, and furiously rose to his feet.

Odin was already on him. Immediately, he slashed a Z into the front of Lich's flesh before he could even react. Lich roared out again, but was quickly silenced when Odin smashed his fist full force right into the monster's face. The Earth Fiend staggered back and fell to the ground once again.

"Amazing…" Bahamut murmured.

"He did it…" Wyvern added.

However, Bahamut's spirits soon sank again. Mad as a hornet, Lich shot up to his feet again, glaring evilly and in insane anger at his opponent. Odin had yet to have a single mark on him, and looked like he could give much more. Bahamut began to worry at this. Odin was doing well enough right now, but Lich, while his injuries were stacking up, hadn't slowed down at all. He was only getting madder. The Earth Fiend, while he thought this, reached into his mouth, grabbed one of many bloody teeth, and then ripped it out, having been knocked loose by Odin. If possible, the creature grew angrier, and put the tooth into his fist and crushed it.

Odin stared coldly at him for a moment, but then turned his head toward Kary, snorting at Lich as if he was a waste of his time. This only made the Earth Fiend more vehement and enraged. "Your little friend is pathetic." He sneered at Kary. "Tell him to stand down before I get bored and decide to take off his head with my next blow."

Lich fumed. He was covered with blood, but just as enraged as ever. "You son of a bitch!" He hissed. "You damned imbecile! I'll rip you to pieces! I'm not finished with you!"

"I wasn't addressing you, skull-head." Odin snorted in reply. "At least, that's what it's really starting to look like."

Lich's skin crawled with rage.

Kary glared at Odin for a few moments longer. But then, she smiled wickedly. She held up a single hand, and instantly a ball of fire materialized in it. It quickly began to grow, however, feeding on nothingness and getting larger and larger. Bahamut and Wyvern both saw this, and the former gaped in fear. He felt a tremendous amount of power in that ball…stronger than even Odin had mustered. It grew bigger and brighter yet, and Bahamut began to realize that if Odin was hit by that ball it would destroy him instantaneously, reducing him to so much ash as the other people in the village had been reduced too. However, Kary only laughed in her wicked voice slightly, and held the ball as it grew larger and larger, finally stopping at about half of her size.

"I don't waste my time playing with chaff." Kary smoothly answered. "I incinerate it." Then, with her horrible vivid eyes blazing madness and evil, she yanked her hand back and then threw the ball straight at Odin with all her might. "Macro-pyrobol!" She screamed at him as she did so.

Odin merely grit his teeth and planted both of his feet harder than before on the ground. He crossed his blade in front of him and held on tight. In his mind, Bahamut screamed for Odin to run, knowing that he would never survive that attack. He simply didn't have the power. However, Odin did not run. He glared at it and watched it approach, never budging an inch. The deadly orb of energy drew nearer and nearer, and the heat began to make Odin sweat, but he wouldn't move. At last, Odin opened his mouth and bellowed a war cry. As he did so, he brought his sword behind his head, held for a moment, and then slashed down on the fireball as hard as he could. For a moment, both froze, the attack of Kary as well as the sword in Odin's grasp. Neither of them gave way to anything. Odin grit his teeth and straight, and the ball continued to burn.

But then, Odin's muscles bulged and he pushed himself to the maximum power. When he did, the sword finally won out. Zantetsuken slashed right through the ball, and both halves of it went flying into the air in either directions. Bahamut and Wyvern watched as they glowing halves danced through the sky for a short while, but then began to arch down back toward the trees again. Both of them soon vanished within them, and a moment later a huge eruption of flame came from both of them. The wind whipped around both Wyvern and Bahamut, as well as the other three in the area, from the sheer force of the blast. A massive tower of flame and smoke arose from each place. Odin, sweating now, inhaled deeply and exhaled. Then, he calmly rose again, and sheathed his sword. He merely frowned at the both of the Fiends.

Kary now had a look of shock across her face, her hand still frozen in the attack she had thrown. "You…you cut…my Macro-pyrobol…in half…"

Odin snorted. "You two are boring me. I quit."

With that, Odin merely turned around and walked toward the nearest esper, Bahamut. Once he reached him, he easily bent over, picked him up, somewhat roughly, and began to carry him over to Slepnir. The horse had waited patiently the whole time. Bahamut, however, was overwhelmed at what Odin had done. He had thought that the esper would never have survived that attack, but he merely sliced it in two. He continued to stare in shock as he was placed across Slepnir's back. After that, he turned and began to walk over to Wyvern.

Lich hissed at him. "Where do you think you're going!"

"I'm leaving." Odin merely answered. "This is far too easy. I want a better challenge…say, all Four Fiends at once."

Kary bristled and scowled, forgetting her shock and turning to rage. "You fool! No one beats the Four Fiends! And our leader would never waste five seconds on you, which would be about how long you'd live!"

"If you're any indication of his strength, I'm not worried." Odin calmly answered. He picked the stunned Wyvern up, and began to carry him back to Slepnir as well. "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you two one year to get in shape. Then I'll come back and face off against all Four Fiends. Maybe then you'll be able to land a blow on me."

Lich sneered in rage. "How dare you make demands of the Four Fiends!"

"Have you any idea to whom you're speaking too!" Kary bellowed.

Odin wasn't impressed, and placed Wyvern on Slepnir as well. After that, he went over and calmly picked up his cape as well. "Two people who will be dead in one year unless you do better. That is…unless you'd like to try and destroy me now. Maybe both of you together would have more luck than just one." Odin spoke this last part with a confident smile.

Kary and Lich both fumed and seethed with rage, but neither of them, in the end, made a slight move against Odin. He even waited for them for a short period of silence. Seeing their lack of a response, Odin smiled wider as he fastened his cape around his neck.

"I thought so. One year it is then." He confidently uttered. After doing so, he extended himself over Slepnir, and prepared to spur him off. "Oh, and by the way." He coldly uttered. "If you plan on destroying any more humans, you better not send mental images to Palad again…unless you'd like to die before the year has elapsed. I won't tolerate your misbehavior again." With that said, Odin merely turned Slepnir around and gave him a kick. The horse whined, and then suddenly crouched and leapt into the sky. To the shock of both Bahamut and Wyvern, the horse was soon traveling faster than both of them as it soared into the heavens and left both of the fiends behind in the clearing and waste pile that had been the human village.

* * *

For a few short moments, both Bahamut and Wyvern lay still on Slepnir. Once the horse had soared high into the sky, it began to run on nothingness. It rushed forward on all six hooves, but wasn't touching anything. What more, he was going a lot faster than either of them could fly. At this rate, they'd be out in even shorter amounts of minutes. It made sense on how Odin had so quickly reached them now. Yet both of them still lay silent, in total awe of Odin's performance. At last, Odin was the one to coldly speak to the both of them.

"I thought I told you that I come with you for now on."

Bahamut and Wyvern were awake at that, and both of them stared at the dark esper. Wyvern seemed a bit more regretful, as he had done so badly against Lich. However, Bahamut was far more amazed. "Odin…that was incredible! You never… How come you never told… Why did… That was amazing! That was overwhelming! That was-"

"A bluff."

Bahamut instantly stopped his praise. "Excuse me?"

"A bluff. The biggest one I've ever done." Odin coldly answered.

Both espers were surprised at this. They looked to each other in confusion, and then looked back to Odin. "What are you talking about?" Wyvern spoke out loud. "You had Lich totally on the ropes. You got rid of Kary's attack like it was nothing…"

"Lich was a fool." Odin sneered. "The entire time he was stronger than me. If he would have used what was left of his brain he would have mopped the floor with me. Don't you remember what I said? It's not the power, but the skill that goes behind it. Every time I hit him it felt like I was punching rock…" Odin groaned after that, sighing the whole time. "I was reckless too. I thought I could beat him easily. I thought I would have been able to kill him with one blow. But each time, I had to hit him as hard as I could just to get him to feel it."

"What?" Bahamut spoke in amazement. "Then why didn't you cut his head off?"

Odin grit his teeth. "You idiot! I was trying to do that the whole time!"

Bahamut and Wyvern gaped at once at that remark.

"You think I was trying to play games with that hulk? I didn't strike a single blow that entire battle that wasn't meant to be fatal! He was too fast and strong the whole time! I could have cut a rock in half with the type of blow I needed to slice partially into his jaw! I told you I was bluffing. I had to make it look like I was having an easy time with him. I learned early in the battle that I'd never win."

"But…but Kary's attack…"

Odin grunted. "It took me everything I had. My arms felt like they were on fire the whole time, and that attack effectively drained me of any power I had left to fight. If I had tried any other weapon I would have been incinerated when it broke in half. As for Lich's attack…if he had been trying not to wildly hit me he would have done some serious damage, if not ripped my head clean off of my shoulders."

The two espers were overwhelmed. That entire time, they thought that Odin had been entirely in control of the fight. In reality he had been anything but. His abilty to adapt and go with the attacks was the only thing that had managed to spare him. In reality, Odin had been not much better off than they had been. He was definitely stronger, but the two fiends were far superior. That had just been a desperate ploy the whole while. And remarkably, it had worked. Lich and Kary hadn't dared try to stop him from leaving. However, a trick like that wouldn't work a second time. Bahamut began to realize just how lucky they were. Just like in their first battle with Lich, they had escaped by virtue of luck.

"So…what now?"

"We do what you said." Odin answered. "We start training for this battle. I got this year for us, not them. We train like mad for one year, then we take out the Four Fiends. Correct me if I'm wrong…did you say that Griever is at least ten times as strong as you two?"

"That's what Jadea said." Bahamut answered.

Odin snorted. "Then let's try not to mess with him. Already…I'm regretting not asking for ten years."

Bahamut and Wyvern were beaten and stunned, but at the same time realized that they would have to be up and at them if they wanted to look like they hadn't run off somewhere or that nothing had happened. So, with a great deal of strength, both of them managed to get off of Slepnir and begin to fly on their own again. Fortunately they were strong enough now to be able to fly. However, as they flew onward, alongside Slepnir, Bahamut turned his head to Odin. Out of all the espers, he knew the least about him, and he seemed the most cold and impersonal one by far. However, he did look at him none the less, and finally spoke to him.

"Odin…? Did you mean…all that you said…about how you had devoted yourself to the human race?"

Odin coldly looked forward, not saying anything. However, his face did turn mildly red. That was all that Bahamut needed to know. Amazing…how much that one single human had changed all of them…not to mention the huge mess that he had gotten them all involved in. Still, if one human could do something to unlock the heart of the steely armored man who was their darkest relative, then he was worth protecting in Bahamut's eyes. With a smile, he turned away from Odin and looked back to how they were flying. The hole was just ahead.

"You get back by moving right up through there, right?" Odin asked.

"That's correct." Bahamut answered.

Immediately, he and Wyvern took off for the hole up above. Odin hesitated below, and watched them. When he went down last time, he had descended into blackness and darkness. Now he wanted to see what it was like for someone else to go in. He watched both of the espers shoot into the sky, and both of them soon entered the funnel of clouds. They went up and up, into the darkness at the top of the portal. Once they reached it, they quickly faded out and vanished. Odin sighed for a moment, watching them go. No answers there. But still…why was there a portal at all? And how did the Four Fiends know they were espers…when they only learned who the Four Fiends were earlier that morning? Odin didn't know, but he had a feeling there was still more to this world that met the eye. The death of Jadea might have made those secrets lost forever, unless what Bahamut had said came true…unless they found them out for themselves. Odin groaned a little bit, and at last decided that he had spent enough wasted time waiting for another Fiend to pop out and engage him. He spurred his horse.

"Come on, Slepnir. Up the hole."

The horse whined slightly, but then did as it was told. Odin soon found himself also heading into the column of clouds. He rode up them for a moment, before he emerged into the black zone. Feeling the wind rush against him, he continued to ride up it. Still, he mused, it had been interesting to finally be in battle. Of course, all the blows that he expected would kill opponents merely infuriated his own. That would be helped soon, with any luck. He'd get to work right away with Bahamut on awakening his own powers. Also…fear seemed to be a powerful element in battle. So did his sword, the Zantetsuken. Suppose there was a way to have one utilize the power of the other? The idea did have merit… Odin would have to ask Bahamut, and he thought of doing so as he exited the blackness and entered into the column of clouds. The opening was just ahead…

Suddenly, Odin yanked on the reins and pulled Slepnir to a halt. The horse, thankfully, did not whine, but came to a stop. Odin stopped making the slightest noise, and froze hovering in that air tunnel. There was something going on outside. Despite all of his daydreaming, he had noticed it just as he had been seconds from exiting. It was a female voice…strong…powerful…the undeniable tone of Crusader. And right now…it sounded infuriated. Odin groaned inwardly. He had forgotten that she was supposed to be coming back. Obviously…so had Bahamut and Wyvern. They had walked right into her. The esper swallowed, and waited in the tunnel as he heard the noise.

_"You stupid, stupid children!" _Crusader screamed in a voice that shook the air around Odin. _"I warned you! I've warned you since the day you were born! You could do anything you wanted in here… Have anything you wanted! And you only had to stay away from this one hole! But you couldn't even do that, could you? You worried me half to death, you little ingrates! You could have been killed! I tried talking to you before about this…but maybe this will help you to remember better!"_

At that, Odin began to hear the sounds of blows. As he did, he heard both Bahamut and Wyvern cry out in pain. Odin's eyes gaped in astonishment. Crusader…actually hitting them? She had never hit them before in their entire lives… Though once again, Odin couldn't blame her. Odin would strike his own children if they put themselves in the kind of danger that the two of them had been in, especially with that monster called Griever below, or even things like Kary and Lich, who ate and burned all that came in their path. Still…he had never heard of Crusader losing control like this. Both of them were struck repeatedly, from what he heard, and finally Crusader shouted at them again.

"Don't you dare look at me like that! I warned you! This is what you get for breaking the rules! You're lucky you didn't get worse down there! Now get over here! Right now!"

Both Bahamut and Wyvern suddenly cried out in pain again. Both of their cries were lingering, as Odin heard Crusader continue to mutter about them both being ungrateful and worrying her half to death. For a moment…an idea occurred to Odin. Why not get the help of Crusader? However, he shut that idea down quickly. That would mean telling her what they knew about the world below. Besides, if Crusader knew about Griever and didn't want them going down there, then there was the chance…that Griever was even stronger than their matron. Odin feared that possibility…for he never honestly pictured himself being stronger than Crusader. But for now, he merely listened as the people drew away. Bahamut and Wyvern's crying out formed a perfect reference point for him to tell when they were out of range. Once they suddenly went much more quiet, Odin realized that he was in the clear. He whispered to Slepnir to move, and the horse obeyed.

Moving much slower now, Odin made his way out of the vortex and back onto the cool rock surface of the crater. He began to lead Slepnir toward the mountain range, being quiet as he did so and not risking the slightest bit of detection. However…he was disturbed at what he saw. Small amounts of blood were splashed on the rocks where he was pretty sure Bahamut and Wyvern had been before. He swallowed, and began to realize just how serious Crusader was about them not breaking the one rule. He moved even slower after that up the sheer cliffs. Luckily, Slepnir could scale anything, and easily made his way back up the rock wall. It took some time, but at length he finally reached the top. Once there, he dismounted, and inched precariously up the ridge toward the top, so that just his eyes could poke out and look to see what had gone on outside during the interim.

The moment his large ears cleared the side, he could hear again. Crusader was still speaking harshly. However, he saw her at a strange place…Bahamut and Wyvern's cliff. Even from this distance, he could see that something wasn't right… The cliff had been _moved_. His eyes managed to spot just one small little hole underneath it, that Crusader was yelling down through. Then, after she had finished, she reached over and grabbed the cliff…and to Odin's shock _dragged _it back over the top of the hole, until it was in its previous position once again. Odin was overwhelmed. No one had the power to move anything of that size…did they?

Crusader, however, softened the moment that she had covered the hole. As Odin looked closer, he saw that the other espers were nearby. Leviathan and Ogopogo both looked shocked at their nanny, and recoiled from her uneasily in their fear. Phoenix wept from the top of a higher rock hill, and Starlet likewise had collapsed into a ball and was crying. When Crusader turned to them, her face instantly filled with regret and remorse. She too grew very sad. She said something to them, but Leviathan and Ogopogo merely retreated from her in fear when she approached. Only Starlet stayed, and she hugged her tenderly. Then, he began to see Crusader crying as well, and very soon it was Starlet who was supporting her, not the other way around, as Crusader broke down and quivered in her grasp. Odin wasn't that good at reading lips, but he could soon see that Crusader was mouthing out something like, "I'm so sorry" and "I had to do it". It was then that Odin began to realize what she had done.

The esper bent back under the ridge and looked in shock out at the sky. She had actually done it… No one had ever been punished that greatly by Crusader before, but they had this time. That hole…Bahamut and Wyvern had to have been thrown down that hole. That was their punishment…to be stuck in that dark, deep place for who knew how long. Odin was amazed. He never thought that Crusader would have gone so far. Crusader, apparently, never thought it either… But that's what she had done, and that was the punishment.

Odin held back for quite a while. He didn't want to risk being seen. However, he did manage to adjust better to the sound coming from Crusader and the others. Mostly, it was Crusader and Starlet. Both of them were rather distraught. Once or twice, Crusader asked Starlet if she thought she was a good mother. She said that she loved them all so much…so much that she went mad with fear whenever she saw them going down to that evil place. She had broken when she saw Bahamut and Wyvern come back, beaten up as they were, having nearly been killed. She told them all at last what she had told Bahamut and Wyvern about how dangerous the place was, and begged them never to go down. Phoenix and Starlet were all that would really listen to her. Leviathan and Ogopogo retreated in fear, and every time Crusader looked at them she began to cry again. At last, she turned and left after about two hours, disappearing once again into the clouds that surrounded Ultima Nexus.

Only then did Odin finally sigh in relief and walk over the hill. Slepnir followed close behind. Once he was close enough, the esper mounted him and spurred him toward the others. However, he made one stop as he did so, back at his cave. He called for Palad to come out, who did so at once. After placing him on Slepnir as well, he rode over to the other espers. They looked up to see him as he came back, and Starlet readily got up and rushed to him. So did Leviathan and Ogopogo. He pulled his horse to a stop, and then both he and Palad got off.

"Odin! Thank goodness she didn't see you!" Leviathan exclaimed.

"Mother's gone mad!" Ogopogo cried as well.

Starlet wheeled viciously around to them. "Don't you _dare _ever say that in front of me again!" She hissed at them. Even as she did so, her eyes began to well with tears. She turned back to Odin and looked sad and distraught all over again. Holding her head down, she slowly related what had happened. "Crusader was mad…very mad…when she saw Bahamut and Wyvern come out of the portal… I barely recog-" Starlet cut herself off there, inhaled deeply, and then went on. "She hit them…then she pushed aside that cliff…" She pointed over to the cliff Odin had seen before. "There was a hole under it…and she dropped them both in it. She screamed at them as being ungrateful…and said she wouldn't let them out for six months. Then she covered it up…and she cried… She begged us all to forgive her…she became hysterical… She said she was a terrible mother…and that all of her children hated her… I tried to stop her from crying…" Starlet trailed off here, her own eyes turning misty again. She lowered her head and cupped it in her hands, and said no more.

A swoop of air rustled down, and moments later Phoenix came to rest on the ground. "She…she was just trying to do what was best…" She slowly spoke.

Palad, however, who knew nothing of Crusader, but only of his two friends, looked distressed and even upset for a moment. However, he then turned back up to Odin. "What about my family?" He asked. "The village? Is it alright?"

Odin paused for a moment, and looked down to the boy. Odin wasn't much for covering up the truth. Honesty, in his opinion, was best, especially when dealing with death. However…when he saw Palad's small little face looking up to him, that look of innocence in his eyes, he couldn't bear the burden of being blunt so easily. He inhaled a little, and then swallowed. At last, he bowed his own head. "I'm sorry, Palad." He stated.

Palad hesitated a moment, his own mouth opening. But then, his own eyes watered, and he turned away. Readily, Phoenix opened up her wings and wrapped him in her fire-colored feathers, letting him cry against the body of the massive bird. Both Leviathan and Ogopogo looked around in a bit of confusion to all of this. All they really knew, from the looks of it, that something bad had happened to Palad, Bahamut, Wyvern, and everyone else in just the span of a few hours, and they barely understood any of it. At length, Leviathan shook his head, and looked over to the cold Odin. "What happened? What the heck went on this morning?"

Odin turned his eyes upward and glared coldly at him. "Much."

* * *

An hour later, all of the espers looked equally distressed. Palad, thankfully, was still tired from last night, and cried himself to sleep against Phoenix's bosom. Phoenix felt like crying too, for the poor child's family and everyone else on the world below. Odin told them all everything that Bahamut and Wyvern had told him. About how they had returned…about how they had met Jadea…about how he had told the truth about the world below and about the espers' own hidden powers…about the Four Fiends and what they did to their victims…and at last about the failed attempt to stop two of them from massacring a village. All of the details, which Odin did not spare, mortified the lot of them. All of them stared with shock, horror, and disgust at all that had gone on. And now, they were quite overwhelmed.

"Horrible monsters…" Leviathan mused.

"No wonder Crusader wants us to stay back." Ogopogo swallowed. "Let's never go there again."

Odin frowned at this. "Have you not listened to a word I said? We have to stop these monsters."

"In one year?" Leviathan spoke in amazement. "Odin, you've been training your whole life and you couldn't beat them. Bahamut's been training his mind his whole life and couldn't beat them. Heck, he didn't even know what he could do until he went into that trance he told you about. I've been training my own mind like mad for two years and I'll tell you right off the bat that I'm barely any better for doing so."

"Palad's here. He'll be safe forever as long as he's here." Ogopogo added. "No one he knows is left back there. Let's just stay here from now on."

Odin merely frowned. "There are many Palads in the dark world, and all of them are at the mercy of Griever and the Four Fiends. There's no telling how many children just like Palad that monster Lich has devoured, or how many more were burned alive by Kary. This has to stop, once and for all. And Jadea was right. We're the only ones who can."

Starlet turned her head slowly toward Palad. She still saw the tears stained on his cheeks, and saw how miserably he had gone to sleep. When she did, a passion burned in her own eyes. "To think that not only people are being made to feel the pain that he feels by the hundreds…" She muttered darkly. "But are actually made to think that they're blessed for it. I'll stop that monster myself if I have to. I'm definitely going to help."

"And I will too." Phoenix announced as well. "I'll never have him cry himself to sleep against me again."

"Now both of you hold on a moment." Leviathan suddenly stated. "Think about what you're saying. This isn't some game, you know. This is serious. You saw how wild Crusader went at the thought of us going down there."

Starlet scowled at him. "Funny. You seemed to think she merely went mad before." She darkly spoke.

"Don't care about anyone who doesn't have gills, Leviathan?" Phoenix harshly added. "You always seemed to like Palad the least."

Leviathan wheeled angrily to Phoenix. "That's not fair! You know I care about him! But I care about us too! And I care about my own skin! And what good would it do Palad, the humans, or any of us if we went down there and got ourselves killed?"

"It'd be suicide." Ogopogo spoke up. "At least the humans are alive down there when they obey Griever…"

Odin sneered at him. "Worthless eel…I'd sooner die than live a day like they do."

"Would you really?" Leviathan asked challengingly. "Would any of us really want to kill ourselves over a bunch of people who truly don't matter to us? What good or evil have they ever done anyone? Can you really make a choice about them based simply on the fact that we find one stimulating as a pet? Is this just some crusade to save a bunch of creatures we find amusing? And are we all ready to kill ourselves over something so trivial?"

The other espers hesitated a moment after hearing that. Leviathan had certainly laid it out straight and clean for them, of what this came down to. The humans weren't espers…and deep down inside the only reason they ever took a liking to them was because Bahamut and Wyvern basically brought one home with them. Other than for that…they would have never really cared for them or found any use for them. However, it was Odin at last who spoke up again, straight and cold as ever.

"You ask if I'd rather die. My response is definitely yes." He coldly stated. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been wasting my life up here. While we've been living in comfort and warmth an entire race has been oppressed below. And what good will there be to just stay up here? To live forever in peace…and for what? We never do anything. We have no ambitions, no goals, no nothing. And while we live on, stay fat and healthy, and enjoy all the best things of life, the people down there will continue to suffer and die, all for the sake of being able to suffer and die further. Palad was actually terrified to come up here…to actually be well fed…to actually be warm…to actually not be sick or in pain or weak for one day of his life. He was afraid of that!

"I will never be able to rest again, after seeing what I did today, if the thought rests in my mind that I will do nothing about it. Yes, I am prepared to die. Because then my life has purpose. Then I can at least say that I tried to stop this evil from happening and didn't turn away. People are dying and suffering terribly down there. People who think and feel just like we do. And I am going to train to defend them. If I have to do it alone then so be it. But in one year's time, I am going to go down there and put an end to the Four Fiends and Griever once and for all. And if any of the rest of you want to just turn away and forget this whole thing ever happened, then do it now…and never show your face in front of me again."

The espers sat still for a short moment, unable to say anything. The power of Odin's bold words sank into them. But in the end, Starlet and Phoenix merely raised their heads and looked more determined than ever. Their own eyes shone with his power. After that, they looked to their two brothers. Leviathan, now ashamed, kept his head bowed for a few short moments. But then, he sighed, and gave a short nod. Ogopogo swallowed a bit, and quivered, but when he saw that his brother had said yes, he too ruefully nodded as well.

"Alright then." Odin flatly stated. "Together."

* * *

Hmm. Kind of makes it look like I've changed this fanfiction to, "The Story of Odin", doesn't it?

To be continued...


	10. Showdown

_Six Months Later_

Wyvern continued to sweat and strain, but determined not to give up. He would not let Lich or Kary get away with how they had humiliated him. Indeed, that had been all that had been on his mind over the past six months as he lay with Bahamut down in their black prison. Having a shortage of things to work with, he had relied on everything that he could use, including stones at the bottom that he used for weights, seeing how long he could keep himself in the air, pushups, pulls ups against cracks on the side, and even punching at the rock walls. His added strength enabled him to do so without hurting himself, and in the past months he had bashed out a considerable section of the wall. He kept training himself harder, however, doing whatever physical activity he could devise morning, noon, and night. He also strained to make his Pyrin stronger, fortifying it with as much power as possible and blasting the walls of his prison. That had expanded the area a bit as well, and nearly brought it down on him and his brother more than once.

Right now, Wyvern was laying on the ground and lifting a huge boulder over his head with his legs. It had started off hard, but progressively he had to do more and more lifts in order for it to tire him out. He was up to an amazingly high number now, pushing close to two thousand. His limbs were aching all over, and he felt sore and wiped out. But he continued to raise it. With each time he pushed himself to the limit, he felt his strength growing. He grinned at the thought of it. Soon, they would be let out, and Odin would be totally overwhelmed at the strength he had managed to attain, when he had little else to do but eat, sleep, and practice.

Gasping, Wyvern buckled, and then let his rock fall to the ground. He sweat and wiped away at his forehead. This was hard work, but it was worth every moment of it to him. He'd be so strong that he'd finish the job on Lich's jaw that Odin had started. He'd run that pretty little head of Kary's into a few _rocks_. Yet even as he gasped, he turned his head over to his brother.

He couldn't seen him in the darkness, but his Pyrin had revealed him more than once. Bahamut had barely moved or said a word in months. He spent almost all of his time calmly seated on the ground, focusing and meditating. He was obviously trying to work on his mind, just like Jadea had advised him. Wyvern merely frowned at the idea. He didn't want to waste six months trying to expand his mental abilities, especially when he had no guarantee of success. It made more sense for him just to train himself physically. Bahamut could meditate all he wanted, but Wyvern would do the physical half. He only wished he was up and about so that he could spar with him.

Wyvern still continued to grin. In just a few more days…perhaps less. Then he'd be out, and be increasing his strength even more dramatically than ever. And in six more months…Lich and Kary better watch out. He would be a totally new esper then…

* * *

Unknown to the two espers, their brothers and sisters had been hard at work as well.

Odin had taken it upon himself to be the new leader of his siblings, and had drilled them almost endlessly. He engaged in combat with them, forced them to do grueling exercises, and demanded that they all try for at least three hours each day to evoke their own inner powers. Needless to say, that had been largely ineffectual in the last portion. Leviathan was struggling trying to reach even the same status of Bahamut, and he was the furthest along out of all of them. The others only managed to gain a vague sensation of relative strength. Still, the group knew that time was not on their side, and pushed themselves as hard as possible to keep moving onward. As a result of their efforts, they had made gains.

Odin himself had increased dramatically in power and speed. He was brutally lethal with his blade. Where before he could only nick rocks and stones with his sword, he now had the power to slice right through them. The others actually took turns throwing huge stones at them, and Odin was able to not only slash them in half, but had ascended to quarters…and eventually eighths. His endurance likewise increased, and he soon was able to take an amazing amount of punishment, with his armor or without it. However, he usually left it on, and even tied more rocks to it when he could, giving himself more weight to endure under while he trained. Yet he was never satisfied, and always struggled to do better.

Starlet, amazingly, had proven herself exceptional as well. She shed her kind, controlled demeanor and became a furious warrior. The fact that Palad and his race was now in danger had evoked a new side of her all together. She was always the first to engage Odin, and matched his blows with a stone rapier she had made herself. This one was far less crude and more sleek than Palad's weapon which had been crafted by Odin. More than once, her surge in power enabled her to get a few blows on her brother. She trained constantly to try and increase her mental fortitude, and her nimbleness and agility increased as dramatically as her strength did. Phoenix was right beside her. While she increased in the lowest amount of power out of everyone, she too had a great drive to increase her own strength, and also struggled to expand her own mental ability. She also had the virtue of being able to fly, which if nothing else would provide a diversion or sneak attack from another angle. Both of them Odin watched closely, for they seemed to be something of an enigma. At times…they both appeared to be hiding something… But he ignored it largely. He had himself to worry about, and only hoped they didn't hold back in the main battles.

Leviathan and Ogopogo had come the closest to unlocking one of their dormant abilities. Leviathan had discovered during one meditation that he had the ability to dramatically lengthen his body by stretching and breathing just right. Not only that, but he had a great amount of muscular control with it. He demonstrated this most keenly in a sparring match with Odin, in which he abruptly quadrupled his length and managed to wind around and completely bind the esper, regardless of his far weaker strength. Ogopogo lagged behind a little more, but Leviathan worked with his twin very closely, and a month later Ogopogo also managed to extend his body and wrap around the opposition. Odin was considerably impressed with this performance, and knew that it would come in rather useful in battle.

Then…there was Palad. Once he had recovered, the young man had been determined to help. Odin feared it, knowing the boy would be nothing more than a hindrance in battle. However, inside…Odin knew that Jadea had to have told him or given him something great before he died. And indeed…if the espers did fail, then he would be the last hope for humanity. He couldn't do much alone, but perhaps he could at least allign the humans against the Four Fiends. And so, Odin began to train him as well. Needless to say, the small human's confidence as well as power shot up rather dramatically. Of course, he would still be a pushover compared to the other espers, but at least he'd be able to survive collateral a bit better…with any luck…

Odin, at the moment, was sparring with his two sisters. His sword was off, as was his armor. Starlet faced off against him on one side, with Phoenix on the other. Both of them cried out, and shot forward a moment later. The former swung for his head, causing him to quickly react and block. The other clawed at his face, and he had to shield that quickly. However, his dual reaction gave Starlet enough time to bring up her knee and smash it into his stomach. Odin dipped forward and formed a look of shock as he stumbled back, and Phoenix swept down to give him a blow from her sharp beak as he did so. Quickly, the dark esper ducked, dodging the blow, and then answered back with an uppercut to nail his sister in the ribs. He straightened again and swept a backhand at Starlet. The female esper quickly swept her head back, dodging the blow, and brought her other leg up to kick him in the side.

As Odin and his two sisters continued the battle, Palad nearby furiously hacked away at a stone with his own axe. The boy had begun to hit a growth spurt. He was taller now, and the last of his flab had turned into muscle. He had grown faster and stronger…far faster and stronger than any human alive. He swung his axe mostly as if it weighed nothing, while any other member of his race would have had trouble lifting it over their heads and swinging it even with both hands. A bit farther away, Leviathan and Ogopogo were at it. They had formed a great ball of coils and fins as they swirled around each other. Like furious serpants, they hissed and bit at each other, each one darting and out around that ball of flesh, nearly dodging the other or occasionally getting a surprise blow. In short, just another day typical of the last six months.

Odin sneered and swung two fists, one at either esper. Phoenix caught hers in the face, but Starlet managed to dodge. "How much longer until Crusader comes back again?" He called out.

"Another day." Leviathan answered, darting around inside the ball, and moments later getting a mouthful of Ogopogo as he sank his teeth into him.

"Good." Odin answered as he began to dodge the two pronged attack of Starlet and Phoenix. "We'll have Bahamut and Wyvern out. Maybe they can help us unleash our inner powers. I just hope they have been training too."

"We still have six more months." Starlet panted in reply, turning and swinging to kick Odin in the head.

"That's also good." Odin answered as he swung at Starlet. "We'll need them."

* * *

_"Hmm…I'm bored. Time to kill the espers."_

_"Huh?"_

_"I've had enough with this waiting game. I'm going to end this."_

_"Uh…are you sure that's such a good idea…sir?"_

_"Don't be a coward, Kary. You're lucky that Griever didn't kill you right then…or that _I_ didn't. I have about as much tolerance for cowards as she does."_

_"He's speaking my language, Kary. I'm going to tear them into tiny pieces…"_

_"Shut up, fool. Keep your damn head screwed on straight this time. You already look like something smashed under a rock."_

_"Grr…"_

_"What was that?"_

_"Uh…nothing. Nothing sir."_

_"This won't be a problem, sir. Suppose I just go alone and wring the life out of him."_

_"Hmm…no, Kraken. The boasting fool wanted to see all of us, that's what he'll get. And it will be the last thing he ever sees."_

_"Should we tell the master?"_

_"But of course. I'm not going to throw aside such a great opportunity to impress upon the boss. And also…we're going to need his help in sending out for the little weaklings."

* * *

_

Odin panted and gulped down another bowl of water. He was incredibly thirsty from that workout. The others were as well, gulping down water and craming honeycomb into their mouths as well. It was a good thing the food in Ultima Nexus rejuvinated one so totally. After just an hour to pause and eat, they'd be ready and raring to go at it once again. His eyes gazed coldly out on the horizon, trying to concentrate on his next combat manuevers. Leviathan and Ogopogo sunned themselves on the shore as they lapped up nectar. Phoenix ate some out of the flowers as well, and Palad was at her feet munching on honeycomb. The espers always had to get it for him. His tender body seemed vulnerable to bee stings. Starlet was leaning back and looking to the sky, gulping down water and covered with sweat herself.

"Another morning workout…" She spoke with a sigh. "I hope we're getting somewhere…"

"Don't worry, we are." Odin confidently replied. "All of our powers have increased dramatically. I'd bet that all of us could beat Bahamut or Wyvern like they were six months ago."

Leviathan looked up from his nectar. "Yeah…but there's something else. After we beat the Four Fiends and get that Crystal, what do we do with it?"

"Bringing it here would be the best bet." Odin answered. "Griever obviously can't come here. As long as the Crystal lies up here he won't be able to use its power."

"And what about the humans below? Without Griever, they're going to have a hard time adjusting. Whether he was more oppressive than anything, he still is what is mostly keeping them alive."

Odin sighed in response to that, and hesitated a moment. But in the end, he could merely shrug. "We'll just have to teach the humans ourselves. I don't think we want to leave the task only in Palad's hands."

"That'll take time." Leviathan answered. "We'll have to risk telling Crusader. Also, if we bring that Crystal thing up here, she's bound to see that as well."

Odin groaned in response, and frowned slightly. "That is a problem…" He murmured aloud. "But if we can beat the Four Fiends and take the Crystal from Griever, and show Crusader what was making the planet below evil the whole time, then perhaps we can convince her to change her mind about the world below. Who knows? Maybe with her help, we could kill Griever as well."

"I hope so." Starlet answered, her own look turning to one side and going a bit grim. "I don't think the humans will ever be truly safe unless Griever is stopped as well, especially if he's so much stronger than the Four Fiends."

"Well, we can worry about thatford when we have to cross it." Leviathan stated. "For now, let's just try to beat the Fiends and get the Crystal. We'll worry about their leader afterward."

* * *

_"Hmph…first you plead with me desperately to get an extra year, and now you want me to get them here so you can finish them now?"_

_"You misunderstand me, my lord… I wanted the time not for my benefit, but for theirs. After I saw what that one did to Lich, I was eager for them to get more powerful so that I could battle them at full strength."_

_"You are rather cocky and arrogant."_

_"I am the strongest being on the Planet, other than you, master. I could destroy them all the moment I saw them, but I wanted there to be a slight challenge."_

_"Very well. But I will tolerate no more delays. I want them all destroyed, and I want it fast. And as for you, Lich…if you dare come back to me one more time without the head of at least one esper, you'll wish you had died last time. Understood?"_

_"Understood clearly…master."_

_"What if they don't come, master?"_

_"Oh they will, Kraken. I'm calling their little bluff. I want all four of you to carry out a task for me…"

* * *

_

"Alright, let's get back to it." Odin announced.

The espers immediately began to rise, getting ready to work again at beefing themselves up. However, they didn't get far. No sooner had they risen to their feet than every one of them froze. Images suddenly projected themselves into their minds, as if a great shard of mental power was suddenly piercing their brains. All of them, no matter how big or small, cried out at the sudden attack, and bent their heads over. Then…the image began to come…

* * *

"Ugh-"

Wyvern dropped the rock abruptly and clutched his head in pain. Something was bursting into his mind. He clenched his teeth and tried to push it away, but it was impossible. Bahamut at his side also groaned and tipped over, remarking in pain as he felt the same message get projected into his mind. Wyvern hissed as it came. It was Griever. The bastard was invading his head, not satisfied with the kid alone this time. He struggled to push him out, but it was no use. The thoughts began to come…

He saw a forest… No, _the_ forest. The forest that they had seen back on the dark world. And down below on it, there were villages. Several of them. Each one of them had a fire pit in the center, each one had a statue, and each one had naked humans gathered around it as best as they could. But now…something was happening. A shadow swooped in…something large and menacing…Wyvern couldn't make out the shape. It halted right in front of his vision. There, it paused for a moment…before huge balls of light erupted from it. Each one went hurtling toward one of the small villages and connected right in the center. Immediately, a huge eruption of fire and smoke exploded from each one, and as it did all of the humans were instantly consumed by a fiery blast. They were all annihilated within seconds, leaving nothing but black pillars where all of them had been before. The black form vanished away again, leaving only the destruction in its wake. But over it all…Wyvern heard a single voice.

_We're calling you out, fools. We're ready now. Now come out and fight before we destroy every last human village on this planet. We'll be waiting…_

With that, the mental image faded, and Wyvern was released again. He quickly snapped his head up and gasped. So…apparantly Griever didn't care so much about preservation of his slaves anymore. He had realized the threat that they posed, and was willing to decimate all of the humans in order to bring them out to fight. And Odin's bluff had failed. It had only been six months. They weren't ready yet.

_Well…I guess we'll have to be ready enough._

Wyvern scowled. If it had just been one more day he could have been out. As it was, he was stuck in this miserable hole. He turned to Bahamut, hoping that his brother would be willing to get out a bit sooner now. However, though he had reacted to the mental image, Bahamut was now back in meditation. Wyvern frowned. How could he possibly still be doing it after he had gotten that message? That was a challenge, and one that needed to be answered, and soon.

At last, the red esper frowned and picked up his rock to lift some more. _One more day, Fiends…one more day and all of you perish…

* * *

_

The five espers snapped out of it, and looked to each other in tension. Palad's look had become fearful again, though he was much stronger this time and wasn't crying or looking terrified. As for Odin, he began to sweat himself, and looked to the ground with an uneasy glare. His bluff had been called…possibly with another bluff. He thought that Crusader wouldn't destroy his own subjects. However…there was no telling what could happen. The image that he saw looked real enough…and if it was then the people on the dark world had little time left. Odin didn't know what to do.

"I thought you said we had a year!" Ogopogo suddenly outburst.

"Not anymore." Odin simply answered, still looking to the ground.

The other espers hesitated a moment, looking nervously to one another. However, after a moment of hesitation, Starlet finally frowned. "Well, I for one say we go and get them! We're stronger now! Much stronger!"

"Tell us the truth, Odin." Leviathan asked, ignoring Starlet for the moment. "Do you actually think we can win?"

Odin sighed in response, turning his head up to his brother. "I honestly don't know. All four of them are going to be coming out for certain. I've only really seen the power of one of them. I can't even make an estimate of success."

"Well, we can't leave the humans to just be slaughtered." Phoenix sternly answered. "We've been preparing for this for a while, let's do it. Let's end it today."

"End what? Our own lives?" Ogopogo asked incredulously. "We aren't ready!"

"Guys! You have to!"

All of the espers halted their debate at this, and turned to the single one who had spoken. They all were soon staring at Palad, looking eager on the ground and his eyes pleading toward them. His hands were balled into fists as he gazed up at them.

"People are being killed down there! You're the only ones who can save them!" He called back. "You're our only hope! There won't be any of us left in six more months! We need you right now! Everyone down there needs you! You said you would save us months ago! You have to save us now!"

The other espers hesitated at this, staring at the small human. The pet phase was gone. Now, they were the sole supporters of the boy's entire race. They were the only ones who could come to his aide now, and they had begun to learn the terrible price of having more knowledge. With it came a responsibility, and a great one. It was a responsibility that now, for the first time ever, they began to realize might cost them their lives. And yet, Palad was right. Griever was far too evil to be trusted to anything. He had slaughtered the humans freely and for his own amusement until now. There was nothing stopping him from killing all the others. And even if he didn't, the Four Fiends of the Elements would. They didn't have six months. They didn't even have six minutes. Every moment that went by was another death. And in the end…they knew there could be only one choice.

At last, Odin slowly exhaled, and turned his head toward the others. "Get everything together. We're leaving in five minutes."

* * *

The six, five espers and one human, shot over the dark world with amazing speed. Most of them were stunned, having seen it only for the first time now. However, Odin led them on strongly ahead. Slepnir carried not only him, but also Starlet and the twins Leviathan and Ogopogo. It was quite a stuffy arrangement, but Slepnir was strong enough to bear the load. Phoenix flew closely at their side, Palad resting on her back as they rushed forward. Odin had definitely decided to bring the boy this time. One reason was that he might have something useful that Jadea told him. But the main reason was because he knew Palad wanted to fight for his own race, and that if they didn't come back from this he couldn't trust Bahamut and Wyvern to bring him back to his home world. Odin likewise didn't like it when he left…how he felt he wasn't coming back again. He wondered what Crusader would think, if they were all gone… Would she look for them down here? Finding them dead…would she destroy herself in anguish? He didn't know, but he couldn't worry about Crusader now. He had to worry about his own immediate family and the humans.

They had been shooting over the landscape for some time now, and Odin was relieved that Phoenix was keeping up. Descending the portal and arriving there was a big enough surprise for everyone, and now that they were finally seeing everything that the stories of Bahamut, Wyvern, and Palad had told them was amazing. However, it didn't take them long to all form grim expressions. This wasn't a casual excursion. This was a battle.

Odin exhaled nervously as he began to sense them. They were up ahead by some distance, but already he could feel their immense power and their wickedness. Apparently, he wasn't alone. The other espers began to bristle as well. They looked to each other nervously, and finally looked to Odin themselves. He showed no emotion. He had to be the strong one. A true warrior never showed fear. Of course…a true warrior also didn't get into a fight he knew he would lose. But it was a bit late for that…

"Sense them yet?" Odin asked the obvious.

"Oh yeah…" Leviathan answered with a gulp. "Uh…wow… I, er…didn't know they'd be that strong…or evil…"

"Exactly how are we supposed to beat these monsters?" Ogopogo cried, a little nervous about flying as well as the battle.

"Using our brains and what we've learned." Odin coldly answered. "We'll keep this battle far from the forests and human settlements. There's a large clearing ahead. We'll make our stand there."

"No place to hide…" Ogopogo moaned.

"No place to have our skulls bashed into." Odin responded.

The espers shot onward for a few more minutes. It didn't take long at all. Odin marveled at how fast they were able to cross the distance, given their increase of power. However, he grew tense as well. He had only slightly improved his mental ability, and wasn't able to get accurate understandings of other foes… But he still feared that the enemy was dramatically stronger than they were. Again, Odin had the feeling that they had made a big mistake. But this time there was no way to remedy it. This was either going to be their finest moment or their abrupt end.

At length, the trees faded below, and a long plain stretched out below the six. As they continued to shoot onward, the trees that they passed over gradually vanished, and far ahead on the horizon all they could see were more plains. This was the clearing. Odin inhaled deeply and sighed, then motioned for Slepnir to lower. The horse obeyed, and dove for the ground. Phoenix noticed this, and then began to drop down as well. Both of them slowly moved out of the sky, and at last touched down. The moment they did so, Starlet hopped off, and both Leviathan and Ogopogo uncoiled and spread to the sides. Phoenix took her position on Odin's opposite side, and Palad on her own side. Slepnir snorted, and pawed at the ground for a while. However, Odin turned to him and whispered something into his ear. The horse whined a bit after hearing it, but then turned and began to run off. With that…the six were soon left all alone in the middle of the clearing. The wind blew slowly around them, and all was silent for a few moments. Here they were. All of them had arrived on the dark world, and already they were about to see the worst aspects of it, personified into four terrible monsters.

"Are they coming?" Starlet finally asked.

"They'll be here." Odin answered, reaching up to undo his cape. "They want us more than they want the humans."

Phoenix looked down to her side. "You better get back, Palad. It's going to get dangerous."

But Palad was indignant. "I want to help! I can! Odin taught me how to fight!"

"Sorry kid, but you're still too weak." Odin answered, throwing his cape off. "You better listen to us."

Leviathan stretched the coils of his body, snapping and popping his bones to prepare for the fight. "Well, I suppose we should be thankful that at least we're all together. Too bad this just couldn't have come one day later. Then Bahamut and Wyvern would be with us."

"We'll just have to make do without them." Starlet answered, drawing her own blade of stone.

"Great…" Ogopogo whined.

The espers went silent after that for a moment, waiting for action to come to them. But right off the bat, it remained silent. Only the wind blew gently, producing only a small amount of noise. But Odin knew better. He could sense the enemy coming already. They were a long way off, but they'd be there soon enough. Their speed was just as fast as the espers', perhaps even more so. He breathed slow and tried to relax, prepared to give the battle everything he had. All of the espers braced themselves, struggling to adjust to not only the strange dark world they had entered, but also their coming enemies.

But then, it began to happen. The sky began to swirl and rumble overhead. The clouds mixed and waved together, turning and churning. As they did so, the ground started to shake, starting off as a small tremor, but quickly growing larger and larger. A bright light appeared on the plains far ahead of them, and began to rush right for the five espers. If that wasn't enough, water was rushing underneath the light, surging forward in a powerful wave. It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, just as everything else had. The espers stabilized themselves and waited, holding their ground. Everything began to grow more intense as they did. The ground rumbled faster and harder. The sky grew darker and thundered. The flames and water both rushed closer and closer, making sounds of burning and rushing as they did so. The other espers grew nervous, having never seen a fire before, and especially not in the dark world. They began to shiver slightly in fear. Odin alone held strong.

Then, they appeared.

Abruptly, the rumbling fractured the ground. Out of it hopped the troll-like deformed hulk of Lich. Despite her intentions, Phoenix let out a mild cry of fear when he appeared. Odin likewise grit his teeth at the thing. It looked just as horrible as last time. One of its eyes was still a crater, its jaw still hung loosely around an area of scarred flesh, and the thing still bore all the marks of everything that had been done to it. He grinned wickedly at his opponents, still glaring through his one good eye at them.

The fire condensed, and the heat waved over the espers. As it did, the rush of flame swirled in tightly until it formed a vaguely humanoid shape. Then, it erupted, and the flames were shed off, revealing the pale, insidious-looking creature that was beneath. Kary hadn't changed at all, and grinned at them with her pointed teeth menacingly. Odin, for the first time, noticed something on her back, something he had missed in the last battle. She appeared to have a sheath there, and a place for a sword of her own. That made the esper nervous. If Zantetsuken gave him such power, then what could Kary's sword do for her? She definitely didn't feel any weaker than last time…

The water likewise condensed, forming a great orb offluid pressed against the ground. Like Kary before it, the water suddenly erupted and shed gallons of it in all directions, leaving the source of it inside. When the creature within appeared, Odin had to struggle not to gasp himself, though the others did. A hideous monstrosity was within. It had a huge soft head, one that was as large as Bahamut or Wyvern and shaped like a great piece of flint. Two pale blue-green eyes glared out from it, pulsing with the evil of their owner. Stretching out from the giant monster were seven huge tentacles. Each one of them was as long as Leviathan or Ogopogo. Odin already began to foresee the problems this one would give.

But the worst was still to come.

The sky continued to swirl, until it formed a center right over the battlefield. At that point, a huge black form suddenly dropped from the sky. The espers all looked up to it and watched it fall, diving right for the position behind the other three fiends. It dove and dove for a long time, and the espers began to think, as it drew nearer, it would smash right into the ground. But such was not the case. At the last possible second, a second that even Odin thought the creature did not have, it suddenly unfurled a pair of monstrous wings and halted its descent. The six now saw the full creature, and Odin once again had to struggle not to gasp in amazement.

It was like Bahamut and Wyvern…and yet not. Rather than being blue or red, it was completely black save for its chest armor, which was yellow scaled instead. It's body was fairly the same as Bahamut and Wyvern, as was its long tail that had a dangerous spike mounted on the end. Its wings were leathery, but rather than be separate from the body, the creature looked as if two of its limbs had become enlonged and deformed with time, and had grown leather between them to form the thing's wings. The creature had a frill coming from the sides of its head rather than a crest, and its mouth looked to be filled with more than one row of teeth. It grinned menacingly at the six that were before it, and gently flapped its wings to maintain a hovering position right in front of them. At last, it stopped flying and landed on the ground. Its tail curled around its feet, but its wings didn't tuck in. They stayed unfurled, emphasizing the power of the monster.

The six were overwhelmed. Palad had never seen such horrible monsters. However, the other espers had a new dimension. They could feel the sheer power radiating off the creatures. They were pulsing with evil and overwhelming strength. None of them, not even Odin, had suspected this much power to be in the Four Fiends of the Elements. But most of all…the last one, the winged one, scared Odin and Leviathan the most. They were able to separate individual energies…and found that the winged one's power and evil far outstripped the other three. Odin didn't want to admit it…but that one could probably kill all six of them without even trying.

"Uh…" Leviathan stammered with a gulp.

"We're doomed…" Ogopogo whined gently.

The winged one smiled evily. "You came." He spoke in a voice as sinister and malicious as venom. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, you are the one who idly boasted that you would destroy all four of us if we hurt another human within one year's time. I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not frightened." The thing hesitated a moment, then grinned wider. "And who are the little weaklings you've brought along?"

"My other brothers and sisters." Odin coldly answered. "They were eager to get a piece of your rotting carcass too." He didn't dare show weakness now. It would be suicide.

The winged one merely snickered. The other three joined him, now not showing a hint of fear toward the espers. "Very well… Allow me to introduce the rest of our little band…" With that, he gestured toward the monstrous water creature. "This is Kraken, Fiend of Water." After that, he crossed his arms in front of himself grandly, and performed a small bow. "And I am Tiamat, Fiend of Air. I am also the strongest of the Four Fiends, and therefore their leader." He raised his head afterward, and glared darkly at Odin with a sinister smile. "Here, we rule by power, you see. That's why the humans are our subjects."

"You must mean slaves." Odin darkly answered. "But no more. You're reign ends today."

The one called Kraken sneered at that and laughed, seeming to think the whole challenge quite amusing. "You imbecile…do you think you can even scratch us with your pathetic levels of power? I've strangled and eaten things with one tentacle that were stronger than you."

Starlet scowled at all of them. "You're all nothing more than a group of bullies! You constantly hurt people just to make you feel better about yourselves! You're the pathetic ones!"

All Four Fiends chuckled at this, making Starlet shake with anger when they did so. "Oh, stop." Kary spoke with a laugh. "You may hurt my feelings."

Phoenix frowned at all of them. "You aught to be ashamed of yourselves. You have no regard for any other form of life. Can't you see at all what you're doing is wrong? Can't you understand that these people are just like you?"

Lich merely sneered. "Then I must taste pretty good too…" He chortled, licking his lips.

"Humans are pathetic." Tiamat simply replied. "Weak…stupid…ineffective… This is the law in our world, espers. The strong survive, and the weak die. That is the only thing to be respected. And whoever's the strongest is right. I couldn't care any more for a human than I could a bug. Their lives are meaningless. And they're so weak and fragile the only thing they're good for is watching them squrim when you torture them. You see…killing them straight out is kind of dull. I prefer starving them, or making them throw up their guts and suck them back in, or burning their body parts off one at a time."

The espers were horrifed at that, but even more Palad.

"They have no real value." Tiamat calmly went on. "The only reason their even alive is because we let them live. And why can't we do anything we want with them? We're strong enough."

"Whether or not you can do something or not isn't based simply on being strong enough." Odin sternly answered.

"Spoken like a true weakling, struggling to defend his own miserable life." Kraken laughed.

"We own this world." Tiamat answered. "We own everything on it. We can make the rules. We decide what's right and what's wrong. Not only do I think killing humans by the dozen, eating them, or mutilating them nice and slow and listening to them scream is right…it's fun and hilarious. Griever and us will say what's right and wrong. If you have something wrong with that, then perhaps it's you who needs to change your opinion. Because otherwise…you had better give me some reason to think that what I have done is wrong in the least."

By now, all of the six were quite enraged at the Four Fiends. Even Ogopogo was, though he feared the power they had to back up their arrogance more than that. Odin merely frowned at them all, feeling his own loathing growing for the heartless beasts as he stared at them. "You know…I entertained a small notion that I might be able to reason with you." He spoke with a scowl. "But now that I see that you're the most slimy, worthless creatures that have ever walked the surface of any planet, I'm going to enjoy ripping you into tiny pieces and listening to _you _scream, Tiamat. I stand by what I said. You all die today. You'll pay for your crimes and every last human that you've ever killed."

Tiamat kept his arms grinned, not looking the slightest bit miffed. He merely snorted at Odin with a smile, and leaned his head back. "Give me a break, little nothing." He sneered. "I wouldn't even bother dirtying my hands ripping your head off with my first blow. Lich, Kary, and Kraken could destroy you all within thirty minutes. I'm going to just stand back and enjoy watching them beat you slowly to death. If you had any sense, you'd tell your other family members to run and never come back. They're even more worthless than you."

With that, Lich grinned menacingly and stepped forward. Kary also grinned wickedly and walked up as well. Kraken slithered forward, looking joyful and menacing the whole time. The espers tensed up, and backed a little. They felt the immense powers of even the sole three. Safe behind them, Tiamat glared confidently at them all. Odin swallowed. This was it. It was time to really show their stuff.

"Alright…" He spoke out loud, cold and fast. "Here's the breakdown. We'll take out these three, then we'll get together on the flying one. Starlet, Phoenix…you take Lich. Leviathan, Ogopogo…go after Kraken. I'll go head to head with Kary."

"Are you going to be ok on your own?" Starlet quickly asked.

However, Odin didn't answer. He couldn't answer without saying a lie or something that would help the opposition. He knew right from the start of the battle that he far surpassed the other espers. Right now…he even supposed that he could kill Lich all on his own. But the other ridiculously high powers of the other Fiends made that impossible. He'd have to go for Kary. Kraken's own power was too high for him to even have a hope of victory. He largely hoped that Leviathan and Ogopogo could hold him off long enough for him to join in on the fight. He also hoped Starlet and Phoenix could hold out. That settled mentally, he reached for his side and pulled out the Zantetsuken. "Palad!" He called out behind him. "Get back and stay out of the fight!"

Palad might have protested, but it was already too late. Odin surged forward for Kary, while the other four cried out and went for their respective opponents. Soon, the human and Tiamat were the sole spectators of the fight…the fight that would decide the future of the Planet and all of its residents perhaps for all time.

* * *

To be continued...

NOTE: For those of you who are Final Fantasy sticklers, you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "Why isn't Lich a skeleton?" "Why does Kary (or Maralith for the non-old schoolers) have legs?" "Why does Tiamat have wings and only one head?" Rest assured, I'm well aware of what they look like when they are in Final Fantasy. But that part is still a _long_ way away in the timeline, isn't it...


	11. Four Fiends, Five Espers

Starlet and Phoenix both shifted to different angles in front of the hideous mutant before them. Lich glared at them darkly, licking his lips as he stared at them. Starlet was disgusted by the beast, and readily drew her sword. Phoenix unfurled her wings and began to hover in the air.

"Disgusting freak…" Starlet scowled. "You'll pay for all the humans you made suffer."

Lich merely grinned his drooling smile. "You two look tasty… It's been a while since I had chicken. Perhaps I can have a bit more fun with you, however, before dining…" He spoke this last part looking at Starlet.

"Just give up!" Phoenix exclaimed. "You already look terrible."

However, to this, Lich smiled even wider. A small chuckle eminated from his throat, dark and slow. Hearing that, both Starlet and Phoenix began to grow a bit nervous, and looked to each other tensely. "Oh…not half as terrible as I'm going to look." The monster sneered. "And not half as terrible as you will when I'm finished with you… I have a little surprise for you and the rest of your esper friends…I have been hiding my true power this entire time."

Both female espers raised their eyes at this.

"What?"

Lich grinned wider. "Yes, little meatballs… I didn't want to use it, of course. I can only do it once, and it's a permanent change. However…seeing as you are the strongest opponents I'll ever encounter, and after you're gone I'll have free reign over this planet forever, I might as well show off my true stuff right now." Lich grinned and snickered even more, balling his hands into fists and bringing his arms down to his sides. Phoenix and Starlet continued to look on in puzzlement, wondering what he meant by all of this. Lich arched his fat head downward, and while still drooling filled his eyes with malice and power, and hissed with joy.

"My true power lies in death, you fools! Now see me when I no longer am dependent on this worthless flesh!"

Then, much to the shock of both female espers, the creature suddenly reached over and dug both of its claws right into the middle of its head. Yet rather than send out blood, green flame erupted from the wounds as his talons pierced his own skin. Both Starlet and Phoenix were shocked, but not nearly as much as they were when Lich began to pull his arms apart. Very slowly, the monster began to rip the skin and flesh right off of his head. The moment he did, the green flame burned up all the blood and remains that were left behind. He ripped it off of his skull…down to both ears…down past the jaw…and past the neck. As he held half of his flesh in either hand, the flames stopped "cleaning his skull", leaving nothing but the toothy bone face of the monster. Much to their shock as well, his eyes were nothing more than dark holes in the eye sockets with single red lights coming out of them. Only a new light appeared in his previously damaged socket, giving him two.

Lich continued to rip the flesh off his body, bathing himself in flame as he did so. He ripped all the way down his torso and arms, past his waist, and finally his legs. When he was done, he stepped out of his flesh like it was nothing more than a pair of pants, and then tossed the flaming remains of his skin and muscle aside. He continued to burn for a moment longer, but as the last remains of his blood disappeared what he was beneath was revealed. His entire skeletal frame was all that was left of him now. But it was misshapened and disproportionate, made of large, cruel-looking, thick bones that covered him and fortified him like armor. His legs were still small, but solidly built enough to support him. Most of all, his massive forearms now showed that on each finger he had a large bone claw, which extended only farther as he burned. His jaw reattached itself, even though there was nothing left to reattach it to, and his knocked out tooth regenerated. He continued to move and hold himself together as if the flesh was still there, but was now nothing more than whitish-gray bone. He grinned his tooth-filled maw, more ferocious than ever, at the two espers. Both of them were horrified, both at his physical appearance…and, more importantly, the fact that they could feel Lich's power increasing dramatically.

_"Like my Z Transformation?" _The thing hissed. _"I've grown stronger than all of you together. My power is double what it was in my flesh form. But enough talking…let's see a demonstration."_

With that, Lich shot forward. His speed was blinding, too much for either esper to react to and nearly too much for them to even gasp at. Before they knew what had happened, Lich was upon them, and gave an uppercut to either one of them to send them flying into the air in agony. As both of them recoiled and were cast skyward, the creature's massive speed enabled him to jump into the air after them, surpass them in seconds, and then bring his fists down on both of them to send them both crashing back to the ground again.Both screamed in pain as they fell back and connected hard against it. Lich himself touched down a bit later, grinning all the way.

Starlet grit her teeth, and got up and began to swing her blade at the monster. But his bones were stronger than anything yet. Hitting him with the sword left no affect on him whatsoever. Phoenix also stood up, and clawed viciously at the bones. But aside from inflicting a few minor scratches, it was all futile. Realizing their ineffectiveness, both espers shot away and glared at the skeletal Fiend, trying to figure out a new attack plan. After a moment or so of pausing, Starlet had one. She tore forward, spun, leapt slightly into the air, and aimed a powerful kick right for the monster's face. Lich merely grinned and stood still, waiting for it to come. Moments later, the blow connected…and Lich's head moved an entire millimeter. Both female espers were justly overwhelmed.

Lich seized the esper's foot a moment later, and swung her around with a boastful laugh. Once he was aimed at Phoenix, he released her flabbergasted sister, sending her flying at Phoenix. The flying esper couldn't react, and soon the two collided and fell to the ground in an injured heap. Lich turned to them, crossed his arms, and laughed his head off at the both of them in a hideous voice. The two espers rolled on the ground for a moment over each other, both moaning. But then, the bruised and battered Starlet once again focused on her enemy. She rose once again, andlunged for the Fiend of Earth. Her sword was drawn, and she focused her power. She would make the weapon slice through him this time. She promised herself she would. Lich grinned and waited for her to come, never moving. At last, Starlet was in range, and swung her blade at the Fiend. At that, he extended a single arm, straight as a board, and intercepted the blow.

A tiny fragment of bone was knocked off…and Starlet's sword shattered into pieces.

Starlet gaped in shock. She had never heard of anything strong enough to break stone. But her thoughts soon turned elsewhere as Lich shot out a massive hand and grabbed her around the throat. Her neck was totally encompassed by the monster's fist, and she gaped and grasped for her neck, being throttled by the creature. Lich glared at her in amusement for a moment, and licked a long serpant tongue, the only flesh left on him, over his razor sharp teeth. Then, the creature smashed his other fist three times into Starlet's body, causing her eyes to shoot open wide and her mouth to open in a silent gagging expression, struggling to call out in pain but being unable to. Then, satisfied for the moment, Lich tossed her away like so much garbage, discarding her body to crash into the ground again.

He soon saw that Phoenix was getting up again as well, ready to shoot in and assault the monster. Lich grinned again at this, and merely extended his palm out at the flying esper.

_"Terra-ject!"_

As Phoenix began her flight, shooting in to attack the monster, a column of rock erupted from the ground right in front of her. Before she could react, she smashed headlong into the rock column, knocking her instantly senseless. Her flight ended abruptly, and the flying esper moaned and collapsed to the ground. Lich crossed his arms again and laughed hideously.

_"Heh! Who would have thought tenderizing meat could be so much fun?"

* * *

_

Odin glared down at Kary, moving around her. She encircled as well, but looked much more confident this time. Apparently, she had recovered nicely from the last battle. That wasn't too good of a factor in Odin's opinion. He had been planning something that utilized fear…but it wouldn't work if she was this relaxed. He tightened up and prepared for a heavy fight, hoping he could even stand up to the Fire Fiend. At length, he finally stopped pacing and drew the Zantetsuken.

"Let's get this over with." The blade shone before him.

Kary only smiled wider as well. "Yes…let's. And this time, esper, I've got more than a match for you. As good as your own little sword might be, I can do you one better." Saying that, the Fiend reached over her shoulder, grasped the handle of her own blade, and drew it out in a flash before her. Odin had never seen a blade like this before. It was long and thin, had practically no hilt at the handle, and was curved slightly. She placed both hands on it and held it in an upright position as opposed to Odin's more upfront stance. The blade gleamed much more intensely, like it was wrought out of flame. It seemed to nearly be a living fire. However, the part that truly disturbed Odin is what he sensed…Kary's power had taken a dramatic upswing.

"What do you think?" Kary cooed. "It's called the Pyrosuken. It's a blade made out of flame with an atom edge. Griever himself forged it for me. It's far superior to whatever blade you could use against me."

Odin remained dark, not betraying any emotion. "It's not the weapon the warrior chooses. It's the strength of the warrior that uses it."

Kary merely grinned more darkly. "In that case…this battle will be even easier than I thought."

With that, the Fire Fiend lunged forward at Odin. Quickly, the esper brought both arms up and crossed his own sword in front of him. The two weapons collided in a burst of power, molten fragments blasting off of Kary's own sword. One of them touched Odin's armor, and the spot hissed and grew hot as the fire burned it. Odin, on his own part, felt a terrible rush of pain within his arms and shoulder as he buckled under the pressure of Kary. She had grown much stronger indeed. Her own sword aided her strength. His chances of victory, he realized, had diminished considerably.

Abruptly, Odin broke off from the attack, and swung his blade over his head as he lunged forward at Kary. She deflected two of the blows, then intercepted his blade on the third one and swung her arms down to push both blades to the ground. Both warriors closed in, both trying to overpower the other, and standing shoulder to shoulder. But after clashing only a moment, Kary grinned and headbutted Odin. The smack felt like a stone hitting his skull, and the esper tumbled back. The Fire Fiend rushed in, and jabbed with her own blade, attempting to end it. But Odin righted himself and spun, avoiding falling to the ground and avoiding two jabs. He whacked the third one aside, and then came forward again. With all his strength, he attempted four different blows against Kary. However, it was no use. The Fire Fiend met his speed perfectly, and his increase of strength was just as futile as if he was acting normally. Griting his teeth, he attempted one more strong blow. But Kary merely crossed her own blade in front of her and stood perfectly firm when he collided. He tried pushing for a moment, but the Fire Fiend held him back with barely any effort. Seeing the futility, he broke off again and slashed once again at the Fiend. She blocked the first two blows, intercepted the third in a downward swipe, and then spun forward while keeping his blade down to smash her elbow into his chest. Odin emitted a slight cry of pain and stepped back. However, as he did, he heard a crack from his metal armor. After backing up, he looked down, and sure enough, a small fissure was now in his breastplate. The dark esper began to sweat, both from tiredness as well as nervousness.

"Come now, warrior esper…" Kary mocked. "You can do better than this, can't you?"

* * *

Leviathan tried desperately to contain his fear as the massive serpentine horror slithered toward them. Greenish drool dripped from its mouth and its beady eyes glared at them hungrily. Ogopogo was actually gasping, and nervously beginning to pull back. Leviathan noticed he might run for it. The esper couldn't very well blame him. Running seemed a good idea to him too. Yet he forced himself to be brave. He had to be, like the others were…for Palad.

At last, the snake like esper lunged forward with the fastest strike he could muster. He closed his mouth and aimed his arrow like head straight for the nearest part of Kraken's body. The creature patiently waited, merely chortling as Leviathan came. Leviathan tried to increase his speed more, trying to make sure he got in a hit, and already fearing Kraken was ready for him at this speed. But he could not. As he finally closed the distance, abruptly Kraken's tentacles shifted. The scaly flesh in front of him formed a loop instead, and before Leviathan could stop himself he slid half of his body right into it. Immediately, Kraken constricted, and soon Leviathan winced as he felt the hard coils close around him. He had gone right into a trap.

Moments later, he looked to his side to see Ogopogo making his own belated attack. He too tried the same tactic, but his fear made him slow and put less power into it. Kraken had no trouble sweeping his tentacle around and seizing him as well. Leviathan grit his razor teeth, and struggled to use his powerful muscles to wriggle free. But it was useless. Ogopogo, for his part, once captured, didn't even try to escape. He merely lapsed back into terror, and shuddered in panic at what had happened to him. Abruptly, the tentacles shifted, dragging both espers up and hauling them in front of Kraken's hideous face. Leviathan continued to try and break free for a moment, but then both looked to him.

The thing grit its own teeth, of which there appeared to be only eight. "Oh, come on. That was far too easy. Fine. I'll just wring the life out of you little worms right now."

Immediately, Leviathan and Ogopogo felt their lungs and insides crushed as Kraken contracted his tentacles. Writhing in agony, the two flailed about wildly in the clutches of the creature. Kraken's hideous laugh boomed over them both as they twisted in pain. Leviathan himself clenched his teeth and grinded them. He felt his bones begin to bend underneath the pressure and strain. He struggled to break free, but it was no use. Kraken was holding on too tight. He couldn't escape. He felt as if his body was ready to crack. Hislungs began to starve for air, and he began to flip out more wildly, struggling to escape.

But abruptly, Leviathan snapped out of it. He forced himself to gain control of his body at once. He wasn't getting anywhere. This thrashing wasn't doing anything. He was just using up his air. He had to think of something else. Suddenly, it hit him. In his panic, he had forgotten all about his ability.Immediately, he bellowed out using his last bit of air the name he gave his own move.

"Contra-cycle!"

With that, Leviathan focused, and began to shift his body. It seemed to compress all around him. The organs within his body seemed to stretch, and the skeleton began to shrink down. His body dramatically shrank in diameter and increased in length, all within a fraction of a second. The move was so fast that it surprised Kraken as well, so Leviathan wasted no time. Now loosened, he rapidly slid his body out from the circular coil, and instead began to loop his own body several times around the nearest tentacle. Ogopogo, on his part, continued to writhe in agony for a while. He panicked more, and it nearly cost him. Yet somehow, he managed to see what Leviathan was doing, and a moment later did the same move. He slid free of Kraken, and nearly ran away. Yet on seeing Leviathan's actions, he quickly began to do the same.

Kraken, shocked at how his prey had suddenly freed themselves, was dumbfounded for a moment. He looked down in puzzlement at the two smaller creatures as they wound around two of his tentacles. Leviathan paid no attention, just coiled himself as fast as he could. Once he had done so, he promptly constricted his own body as hard as he could. He grit his teeth again and sweat and strained under his own force, pulling himself in the most death-crushing grip he could muster. That done, he opened his mouth full of teeth and chomped down on Kraken's scales as hard as he could, struggling to pierce him. Ogopogo soon finished tightening himself around Kraken. He watched Leviathan's actions afterward, and hesitated in fear for a moment. But in the end, giving a little whine, he too bent his head down and bit as hard as he could into the Fiend. Both did so for a few moments, contracting themselves tighter and tighter, biting as hard as they could, waiting for blood to start rushing out or some sound of pain.

Instead, once all was done, the thing merely guffawed.

"Is this supposed to hurt?"

Leviathan sneered in frustration. He was right. He wasn't doing anything. Kraken's own tentacles weren't being compressed at all by his choking move, and all he was getting for trying to bite the thing was a severe toothache. He wasn't leaving a dent in the beast.

The Water Fiend grinned his toothless mouth and began to raise his other five tentacles. "Here, let me show you how a true Contra-cycle is done."

Immediately, Leviathan and Ogopogo were grasping nothing. In an instant, Kraken shrank and enlongated his own tentacles, then pulled them out from under them. He did the same with the rest of his tentacles, and a moment later, thin coils swarmed both espers. Leviathan gaped in panic as they came, soon finding coil after coil wrapping around his body, and quickly beginning to tighten. Ogopogo, for his part, had taken enough. Yelping in terror, he dove down into the tentacle mess even as they tightened right behind him. Soon, like a worm in dirt, he desperately was wriggling around within them, trying to avoid being caught.

Leviathan caught this, however, and realized thatOgopogo was doing the smart thing. Kraken was overwhelmingly stronger than both of them combined, but even he couldn't grasp them when they elongated themselves. Before the tentacles around him could tighten further, he quicklyslipped out of the coils, and then dove into the mass of tentacles around him. Sure enough, Kraken grunted in annoyance, and struggled to catch them. But Leviathan didn't stop moving. Along with Ogopogo, he circled around in Kraken's mass so quickly that the Fiend couldn't find them.

Leviathan was grateful that he was alive, but knew he couldn't rest. Even as he ran, he struggled to look for a weakness on Kraken. If he couldn't find some spot where he could do some damage, then all he was doing was delaying the Fiend's victory until both he and his brother lost the stamina to maintain this form and speed…

* * *

_"You're not finished already, are you? I'm barely warmed up."_

Starlet panted and held a fresh talon wound against her shoulder. As for Phoenix, she looked much worse for wear too. Many of her beautiful feathers were now ruffled and torn. Lich Z merely grimaced at them evilly. The monster wasn't showing any fatigue, but now the two girl espers were covered with bruises and minor injuries. Starlet felt her own strength rapidly fading. She felt like some of her bones were broken. Phoenix at least was beginning to anticipate and avoid Lich Z's Terra-ject attacks. Starlet had no such luck. Her own strength was fading, and the monster could attack her at any time. She was weaponless and ineffective at causing the monster pain. In this form, she wondered if the thing even could feel pain.

Lich Z snickered at them. _"You're just tickling me, meatbags. I'm hardly even working up an appetite. At least try to make me tired. You'll be easier to digest that way."_

Starlet continued to breathe hard, and scowled at the monster. If she was going to die, she did not want it to be at the hands of this arrogant pig. The Four Fiends disgusted her. She would have preferred to be killed by anything other than them. She looked back to Phoenix for a moment. The firebird had her eyes closed and was breathing slowly, looking like she was still attempting to catch her breath. Starlet sighed inwardly. That meant she had to lead the next assault. So be it.

The esper turned back to Lich, and lunged at him again with everything she had. Everything she had was diminished at this point, but she still tried her best. The Earth Fiend bellowed laughter at her attempt, and brought back one of his clawed fists, meaning to deck her the moment she got close enough as before. But Starlet was using her brain now. She reached the Fiend just as he brought his fist in front of her. Rather than go right into it, the esper abruptly hopped in the air and landed on his bony knuckle. The hideous grimace before her turned to surprise as she used her newest platform for leverage, launching herself into the air, doing a smooth somersault, and then landing behind the Earth Fiend. Lich Z merely gaped in astonishment, not expecting the move.

Starlet didn't waste a moment. She spun around and chopped the creature once in the neck with her palm, and then reared back and kicked furiously at the back of his head and spine. She put all her strength into it, scraping and cutting her feet against the beast as she did so, desperate to make the monster feel any lasting damage whatsoever. But it was useless. Her blows barely budged the thing, and after a moment Lich Z was laughing again. Spinning around, he smashed his clawed fist into the side of her head, ripping a gash in her cheek and sending her flying backward, soaring through the air. Still laughing, Lich Z turned to face her, leapt after her, and caught up with her still flying body. He smashed his foot down hard on her middle, knocking all the wind out of her and sending her flying straight down to the ground. She landed hard, and immediately the Earth Fiend pinned her under his huge foot.

The hideous red-eyed skull glowered down on its victim for a moment. Starlet, for her part, writhed a bit in pain, wincing and rolling her head, struggling to get her senses back. But just as she did, Lich Z began to press down harder on her. The weight was crushing, and immediately she felt her two lower ribs snap.

"AAH!" Starlet screamed in agony.

_"Heh-heh!" _The monster chortled. _"Thought you were pretty smart, honey? Well, now I'm gonna squash you into jelly. I think I'll spread you along your sister's wings for a nice bloody trea-"_

"Pyrimshad!"

Both Starlet and Lich Z looked in confusion to the source of the new sound. Starlet recognized it first. It was Phoenix, screaming it. The firebird was in the air now, her beautiful wings unfolded and glaring at Lich Z. A fire was in her eyes, and a radiant light was all around her, shining as brilliant as the sun. To Starlet, she appeared to be enveloped in flame. After a moment, however, the esper realized her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. She _was_ enveloped in flame. A flaming bird had formed around Phoenix. Her eyes glowed brighter and brighter, glaring with righteous anger on the Earth Fiend. Finally, Phoenix gave out a mighty call, and released her move. A giant bird of fire came rushing toward the Earth Fiend.

Lich Z laughed terribly once again. Keeping Starlet pinned, he turned his body and balled his hands into fists as the flaming bird went toward him. Starlet felt the air around her grow hot. The light grew brighter and more blinding as it rushed forward. A mighty wind went over her and Lich Z. But the Fiend merely laughed. _"You fool! Puny little attacks like this can't hurt me anymore! I'm invincible!"_ With that, the horror reared back a fist, and prepared for impact.

The shadow of flame maintained the shape of Phoenix, seeming to cry out as well. In time, its cry drowned out Lich Z's laughter. Starlet continued to watch, waiting to see what would happen next. At last, the flame reached the Earth Fiend. Laughing hard, Lich Z swung his fist as hard as he could into the flame image. On doing so, the flame immediately burst apart into fire, and Starlet reared back as flaming fragments rained down around her. A rush of heat roared by her head. She shielded her face with her arm a moment, closing her eyes to avoid it. But it passed quickly, and over it all she heard Lich Z bellowing in laughter. A moment later, however, to her surprise, the foot left her body, as Lich Z continued to shout. She was freed. Confused, she unshielded her face and opened her eyes, looking at the area around her that had now returned to normal. Lich Z was further in front of her now. At that moment, she suddenly realized the Earth Fiend wasn't laughing.

He was screaming in agony.

The monster writhed terribly, bellowing an endless stream of foul curses as he held the hand he had struck the bird of flame with. To Starlet's shock, much of his arm was now blackened, presumably damaged badly by the fire. But most shocking of all was his hand. Closer to the impact point, the bones appeared to _melt_ into a greenish sludge. Where his hand had been was now only a smoldering, green-glowing stump, dripping bits of goo and hissing. Starlet, overwhelmed with surprise, quickly raised to her feet as fast as her body allowed her. Lich Z was actually hurt!

The esper looked back to Phoenix, who had changed. Now, the fiery esper was on the ground, her wings bracing her, and panting hard. It looked like she had just had all strength drained out of her, and she couldn't move an inch. As Lich Z continued to writhe, Starlet called out to her. "Phoenix! What was that?"

"For…a moment…" Phoenix gasped between breaths, struggling to keep herself up and her eyes open. "I…realized…my power… That attack…came to mind…when saw you…in trouble…"

Starlet blinked in amazement. Phoenix may have just won the battle for them. But as she did, she looked back to the Earth Fiend. To her fear, he was calming down. He stopped running around, and was lowering his arm. His screams had died down considerably. Quickly, Starlet turned back to Phoenix. "Can you do that attack again?" She almost frantically asked.

"Can't…remember…" Phoenix ruefully gasped back. "Besides…attack…drained…strength…"

Starlet, feeling a fresh cold sweat break out on her body, slowly turned back to Lich Z. The monster had stopped moving now, and now clenched his remaining fist hard as he gnashed his razor sharp teeth. His own eyes were burning, seeming almost to radiate red flames of their own within his head. All of his overwhelming hate, rage, and evil was directed slowly at the two of them now. Even the ground began to shake in his fury.

_"You…BITCHES! DAMN YOU!"_ The thing roared in absolute fury. _"NOW I'M PISSED! No more playing around! I'll beat you to death right now!"_

Snarling like the demon he was, Lich Z lunged forward with renewed and multiplied rage.

* * *

Odin and Kary clashed their blades together again. After holding a moment, they broke off again. Kary swiped at Odin three times. Each time, Odin managed to parry the blade back, but each time sapped his strength and sent more pain throughout his body. Even the most basic defensive move hurt now. His own stamina was beginning to fail. What more, several more bruises and gashes were on his exposed skin. His body was covered with sweat from strain. He was beginning to break…

Giving out a furious grunt, Odin launched three slashes of his own at Kary, trying to answer back. But the Fire Fiend blocked each one nimbly. She didn't even bother parrying until the last blow. When she did, she threw Odin aside and quickly swung her blade at his neck. The warrior esper barely had time to snap back and react to the hit, rearing back while keeping his feet planted on the ground. Regardless, the blade still sliced open his cheek. The blow felt like fire. The sword, he realized, was burning hot, and seared his flesh as it cut into it. He ignored the now searing pain across one half of his face, and swung back forward with Zantetsuken and another attack. Still, Kary had enough time to cross her own blade in front of her and guard.

Odin clenched his teeth in fury at the Fiend. Kary, for her part, merely grinned back. The Fire Fiend wasn't entirely unmiffed. Her brow looked wet, and now two beads began to roll down the sides of her head. But the small signs of exhaustion weren't enough to weaken her. They were just invigorating her. If anything, the malicious fire in her eyes was rekindled, and she seemed more passionate than ever.

"Yes!" She boomed. "Keep it up, esper! You're actually entertaining me a little!"

Odin merely sneered, reared back, and swung his blade at her head again. She simply blocked it, and Odin went back and began to swing his sword around his head while approaching her, trying to get a glancing blow in. But Kary was able to parry these hits as well, and moved back as he approached. Snarling, Odin leapt back, braced himself into a squat, gave another war cry, and shot at her. This time, he tried aiming his helmet at her to strike her in the head. Kary hesitated a moment, but then lowered her blade. As Odin came in range, she abruptly brought her knee up and slammed it right into his throat. Instantly, Odin's wind was cut off. He abruptlycut offhis attack, and fell to the ground on all fours. He grasped for his throat as blood dribbled from his mouth, struggling to catch his breath. Kary looked down on him and snickered a moment at his misfortune, but then reared her foot back and smashed him in the face.

The warrior esper was ripped off the ground, carried back through the air, and then dropped flat on the ground thirty feet away. He hit hard, and the ground gave a bit from his impact. Pain rocked throughout his body. Odin gave a little yell, just to release the pain, but then sprang back to his feet. However, he noticed that he was slipping. He was barely able to come back this time. As he went back on his feet, he felt dizzy, and his muscles, sword, and armor felt heavier. It took more effort to get himself going as well. He recognized this feeling. He was losing his strength. His power was dropping. He had been giving Kary everything he had for too long, and now he was failing.

Kary lunged forward, and in an instant was right before Odin. Odin, his senses now dulled from exhaustion, actually shot back a moment and raised his sword. But Kary didn't fight. She merely grinned wickedly at him and stood before him.

"You're getting slower, esper." She mocked. "And you're blows are getting rather meaningless. I don't think I'm going to get anymore entertainment out of you." She reared back her head, raised a hand to her mouth, and faked a yawn. "Ho-hum…I guess I'll just have to finish you now."

Odin's eyes expanded a bit, but he said nothing. He clenched his teeth again instead, tightened his grip on Zantetsuken, and struggled to summon every last ounce of strength he had. He had to beat her! If he couldn't even handle Kary, they didn't have a prayer against the others. But already, he was beginning to realize the unfortunate truth…they could not win this battle.

"YAH!"

Odin barreled forward, putting everything he had into his next sword swing. But sadly, he knew it was already less than his previous maximum. Kary never stopped smiling as she battled the meaningless blow away. But rather than play with him this time, she spun around instead, following through with the hit, and then stabbed Odin right through the shoulder. The blade seared straight through his arm and emerged the other side. The esper's eyes expanded, and he gave out another roar of pain. His flesh began to burn and roast around the wound, giving a foul smell. Kary laughed insideously, ripped her blade out, and slashed Odin right across the belly. A line of flame burned across his torso, and the warrior esper cried out again and fell to his knees. The injuries and burns sapped his strength. His sword seemed to get ten times heavier, and he collapsed, barely able to hold himself up.

"Ha!" Kary laughed, and then gave Odin a powerful uppercut right to his agony-lined face. The blow connected hard, and Odin felt his teeth loosen as the hit struck him. In an instant, he was ripped off the ground again, and went sailing backwards through the air. Only this time, the blow was far more intense. He sailed a hundred feet…two hundred feet…far beyond the level of the battlefield, out to the nearest hill surrounding them. Only then did he drop like a stone. When he landed, a small tremor was sent through the ground. He didn't cry out this time. His body was motionless and silent by then.

Kary, ever grinning, raised her palm and held it in a cup shape. "Now to finish you!" She cackled. As before, a great ball of red light began to form in her hand. It condensed and grew larger and larger, becoming a ball of flame, burning bright and rippling the air around her. She sneered at the space beyond the hill.

"Cut this one, esper! Macro-pyrobol!"

With that, Kary hurled her ball of fire energy straight to Odin's location. Nothing moved on the other side of the hill. Nothing ran from the incoming attack. For a moment, Kary thought that the warrior esper might still cut it in half, might still be able to fight a bit longer. But he did nothing as the ball came closer and closer. A moment later, the flaming orb too vanished behind the hill. The sky seemed to turn dark, and a ripple of intense, burning heat ran over the entire battlefield. A brilliant blast of light exploded from over the hill, and a column of fire arose from beyond it. Kary beamed victoriously at the sight, eagerly awaiting the aftermath.

The fires did fade after a moment. Now, all that was left of the hill was a large, blackened crater. There was no sign of a body or remains, just black ash all around, with sizzling smoke rising from it.

Kary cackled again. The esper had vaporized. She had watched carefully. He hadn't escaped in time. He was right there when the attack hit, and he never ran when it exploded. There was nothing left. Now, she turned around and faced the other Fiends.

"One down, four to go."

* * *

Kraken grit what few teeth he had in annoyance. Despite the smaller size and weaker stature of the foes he faced, he still couldn't grasp onto them. His own Contra-cycle attack was utterly ineffective against their own lithe, slippery bodies. Ogopogo and Leviathan were literally using Kraken's own body as a hiding place to keep away from the monstrous Water Fiend.

As for Leviathan, the beast was madly striking his arrow-like beak at Kraken every chance he got, hoping to inflict some damage. For his effort, he was getting a scarred beak while Kraken was getting some scratched scales. What more, every time he stopped to focus long enough to perform a decent hit, the Fiend would nearly seize him. Neither side was giving an inch. Ogopogo was being even less effective, his own blows being far more erratic and less focused. They weren't getting anywhere at this rate, and Leviathan was beginning to tire of staying in his elongated form and keep moving. He couldn't keep this up for more than a few more moments.

_This isn't working…_ He thought. _Dang…I need to learn more. I'm still too weak as is! I'm close… I know I'm close… I can feel the power inside me. The words are on the tip of my tongue. If I could only focus a bit longer…if I only had a little more time! Come on, Leviathan… Think… You have to do it here… Just think of it… Concentrate…_

As the esper continued to whip around the Water Fiend, he struggled to think again. Despite having to use his brain to keep moving, he tried to meditate a bit, to dig in and let his inner power out. It was nearly impossible here, but he had to focus…he had to try. Yet even as he began to do so, immediately, another fouler, gruffer, meaner voice suddenly echoed faintly in his head. It was like a whisper on the breeze, but he could definitely make out words…

_…Heh…s'll get…em…_

Abruptly, Leviathan stopped meditating and opened his eyes in surprise. Was this what he thought it was? Was he…actually reading Kraken's mind?

He had little time to focus on it, for at that moment, as both Leviathan and Ogopogo were crossing their elongated bodies right in front of Kraken, the Water Fiend abruptly recoiled his tentacles and returned them to their original positions. At the same time, his huge mouth suddenly opened as wide as it could, and he belowed a new attack.

"Aqua-ject!"

With that, a massive burst of water suddenly erupted from the Water Fiend's mouth. It was huge, filling the entire beast's maw. But what more, the moment it came out, it increased in speed. It altered shape, and compressed to form a thin disk. Leviathan didn't know this, but the water was pressurizing itself in mid-air, condensing into a strong, powerful, razor-sharp surface. In short, it was becoming a blade of water. And as Leviathan and Ogopogo passed, the blade of water shot down right in between them, catching their sides on either end of it.

"ARGH!" The two espers screamed in unison. Abruptly, their own Contra-cycle cut off, and they reverted back into their previous lengths. The disk of water turned red for a moment before cutting into the ground and dissipating. It had sliced into their own scaled bodies like they were nothing. Now, a large red cut on either of their bodies poured out blood. It was deep on them both, and either esper collapsed to the ground and began to writhe in pain.

Kraken closed his mouth and boomed a hideous deep laugh at them. "Heh-heh! Thought you could do that forever, eh?" He snickered. Leviathan and Ogopogo merely continued to writhe. "That's a pretty nasty cut." The Water Fiend chortled. "Here…let me put some pressure on it!"

With that, Kraken enlongated his tentacles again, and extended three to either esper. This time, he began to wrap all three tentacles several times around their entire bodies, covering the spaces where any vital organs could be. Once that was done, he quickly began to crush once again. This time, he wrung all the air out of their bodies, compressed their organs, began to crack their bones, and generally started to squeeze the both of them into nothingness. They couldn't writhe or scream this time. All they could do was lay helplessly in his grasp and look agonized.

Kraken laughed at the two of them again. "Little-bity worms out of dirt…" He mocked. "Let's see if we can't put you back in."

With that, Kraken laughed even harder as he smashed both of their bodies repeatedly against the hard ground, trying as hard as he could to smash and fracture things while squeezing the life out of them. Leviathan and Ogopogo could do nothing but helplessly look tortured as they were smashed again and again against the ground, beating craters into it and leaving bloody streaks from their progressively more-smashed-in faces…

* * *

"Damn it! Where is she? I need to get out!"

Wyvern's anger echoed against the walls of his prison, but other than that did nothing. The esper grit his teeth in rage and angerly smashed his tail against the wall. He had a slight ability to sense power too since his incident with Jadea, and he could sense that the others were gone. He knew there was only one place they would be going, back down to the dark world. He didn't know what they were doing there, but he knew they'd run into trouble. And if they did, he had to be there. For the past thirty minutes, he had already been psyching himself up as he wondered if they were fighting the Four Fiends now. As he did, he began to progressively think more about his own progress, and was now believing it was better for them just to take the Four Fiends now, believing he could deal with them. However, it didn't matter now, for he was still stuck in the blasted hole.

Wyvern reared his head over to Bahamut. His brother hadn't moved an inch, and hadn't reacted to anything. "Well, aren't you upset, Bahamut?" He called out to him.

The esper did not reply. He stayed motionless in his current position.

Wyvern felt himself grow a bit irritated with him at that. "Can you at least tell me what's going on!" He shouted.

No response.

"Ugh!" Wyvern exclaimed. For the first time ever, he was growing annoyed with his brother. What was he doing anyway? Why was he reacting to this whole situation so calmly? Surely he had to see the others were gone. Surely he had to see that they were probably starting the fight now, or at least had encountered one Fiend. And surely he had to know Crusader was far overdue on letting them out. Yet he was just sitting there?

Wyvern turned and sneered overhead. A bit of rock was what was keeping him from fighting. A bit of rock was what was keeping him from striking down the Four Fiends himself. One small stone that Crusader could budge without effort was the only thing holding him back. He wished Bahamut would react a little. Then maybe he could help him move this stone and let him out sometime before…

Suddenly, it hit Wyvern.

_Of course… How could I be so stupid!_

For months he had been blasting the rocks in the cave to nothingness. His power had only continued to grow since then. How much different was the rock overhead? Surely he could obliterate it in the same fashion, couldn't he? It was definitely worth a try.

Quickly, Wyvern planted his feet on the ground. He craned his neck skyward, straight up overhead. He wanted to put a lot of effort into this. He wasn't sure if he could get through it in one blast, and if he didn't cause an eruption the entire prison could cave in on him. With that in mind, Wyvern quickly began to focus, resummoning the old strength from before. As so many times earlier, he felt the power in his body rising. He felt the words begin to come to mind and roll out, and the powerful blast within him began to generate and burn. The cave slowly began to be illuminated with orange light as the fire within Wyvern's stomach burned and began to glow out from his mouth. But he continued to focus, adding more power to it this time, putting as much power as he possibly could into it. Accordingly, the light grew brighter and brighter. The shadows vanished in the cave. Bahamut's meditation was totally illuminated. And far up the rock tunnel he was in, Wyvern saw the small disk of rock covering the opening. It was time.

"Pyrin!" Wyvern shouted, and immediately a concentrated ball of fire energy erupted from his throat. It was much stronger this time. While still focused, it burned more brightly, and even Wyvern had a hard time focusing on it. A small hazy trail of fire was left behind it as it went up and up and up toward the ceiling. Wyvern closed his mouth and watched it, seeing it connect. Immediately, his world became blinding white, and the sound of a fiery explosion went off. Crying out in a bit of eye-stabbing agony, Wyvern recoiled and shielded himself with his arms as the huge explosion rocked overhead. Hot wind rushed over him, whipping his wings back furiously. Bahamut, for his part, didn't react, even as pebbles and dust were blasted over him and Wyvern. He continued to meditate, while Wyvern shielded his eyes and waited for the aftermath to cease.

Wyvern could see the glare of the explosion even beneath his eyelids. However, even when he felt the winds die down, the explosion fade, and heard the few rocks left slowly clatter to the ground, he still saw bright light. After a moment, the esper relaxed, and slowly turned his head to the sky, seeing what he had done.

In all honesty, he was shocked at his own power. He had done more than blasted a way out. The prison was obliterated. There wasn't even a rock tunnel left. All that was there now was a massive crater in which Wyvern and Bahamut were deep in the center. A few pebbles still fell to the ground, clattering off from the edges, but the large blue sky with the bright golden sun was now beating down on them. Wyvern winced a little in it, unaccustomed to such light. However, he soon burst into a grin and began to laugh out loud. He felt the breeze of Ultima Nexus. He relished the warmth of the sun beating down on him. He was free, and he had done it all by himself. He barely felt like he had used any power at all either! He still had plenty to spare.

_Then it's true!_ Wyvern thought with amazement. _I must be the strongest esper by far! I've transcended Odin! And I'll bet I transcended the Fiends too! Heh! Nothing can beat me now!_

Immediately, Wyvern took off into the sky. He was pleasantly surprised again. The slightest take-off leap now propelled him thirty feet into the air, and as he beat his wings he felt them effortlessly move in the sky. This was amazing! He snapped his head back around and looked down to Bahamut.

"Come on, Big B!" He shouted. "Let's go! The others are already gone!"

Bahamut didn't move an inch. He continued to sit on the ground, not moving in the slightest.

Wyvern frowned. "Come on! Get off your butt!"

Bahamut didn't reply. He acted as if Wyvern wasn't even there.

The red esper scowled. He turned his head over to the crater mountains, and gazed longingly at them. Then, he looked back to Bahamut. He had never gone anywhere without him. It didn't seem right to leave without him. Regret made him want to stay there. However, a new voice was in him now. It told him to stop waiting for his brother to tag along all the time. If he wanted to waste time in the bottom of that hole until all the humans or their siblings were dead, he could. But Wyvern wouldn't. Bahamut was probably waiting for Crusader to make his release official. Wyvern wouldn't wait for her. He had bigger things to do. There were Fiends to annihilate. Besides, he figured, Bahamut hadn't trained at all while down in that hole. He'd just get in the way if he came this time. No…he figured it was better if he went by himself and cleaned the floor with the Four Fiends.

"Fine. Stay here." Wyvern spoke at last, still hesitating a little. "…I'll bring you back a deer."

With that, Wyvern turned to the mountains and took off. Using his new increased speed, it took no time for him to reach them and make his way down the other side to the portal.

As he vanished in the distance, Bahamut merely sat any continued to meditate, not seeming to notice a thing.

* * *

To be continued...


	12. Zantetsuken

_BAM!_

Starlet and Phoenix both went flying backward again as Lich once again backhanded them with his one good fist. His talon left a cut across either of their cheeks, and Starlet felt a hot, throbbing pain seem to sink into her face. It seemed to sap whatever strength she had left. She hit the ground limply, sprawling across it and dragging as she did. But Phoenix looked even worse. She tumbled as she fell, rolling backward several times before collapsing face-first on the ground. There, as Starlet landed and looked to her, she lay motionless, with her eyes closed.

Lich Z sneered from his spot. He wasn't giving out a hideous laugh anymore, but he was grinning evilly again. Phoenix had been unable to reproduce the one effective attack again, and now she looked like she was totally spent. Nevertheless, Lich Z had continued to pound her especially, trying to hurry and kill her. After this latest blow, as Starlet lay on the ground looking to her, she realized he may have done something serious this time. She stared at her for a moment as the firebird lay there, not moving at all, waiting for her to rise again. But when she didn't, a cold fear sank into her heart. Quickly, Starlet tried to raise herself up.

"Phoenix!" She called out.

Her sister did not answer, and so Starlet was soon pulling up her own bloody and broken body, all the while it was screaming in protest and agonizing from all the bruises and cuts all over her. But somehow, Starlet managed to drag her legs up and under her, and used her arms to push herself up a bit off the ground. Then, she managed a half-stumble, half-crawl over toward Phoenix's direction. Phoenix never looked up as she did so, and Starlet looked hard at her through her sweat-stained vision to see movement but found none. Her fear continued to increase, and a terror sank into her heart. Was she dead? Had Lich Z's last blow felled her?

At last, Starlet's exhausted, injured body collapsed in a heap right next to Phoenix. Panting all the way, Starlet immediately reached out and held her sister, trying to look for signs of life. "Phoenix!" She called. As she did, her throat tightened, and her stomach began to grow heavy. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She felt so still…so motionless…so lifeless. "Phoenix…" She spoke more softly. "Please…don't be dead…"

Miraculously, at that moment, she felt a warmth from the fallen esper. Starlet sensed it, and quickly looked to the source. It was Phoenix breathing against her hand. The esper still lived for now. Starlet immediately felt a wave of relief flood over her, and she nearly smiled. But that was cut short as the Earth Fiend bellowed behind her.

_"You'll be joining her soon enough, you esper bitch. You breathed your last breath, and now the Earth can have you."_

Starlet snapped her head around and looked to Lich Z as he spoke this. However, the Earth Fiend now formed a gesture with one hand, and crossed it in front of his face. His teeth were grit, and a mean look was on it. The fires in his eyes blazed for a moment, and he abruptly yelled out a new move.

_"QUAKE SWALLOW!"_

Starlet's eyes expanded at the thought of another attack, but they soon stayed open afterward. Immediately, the ground had begun to shake. It started as a tremor, but within a moment had escalated into a full-fledged quake. It shook violently, and the soil heaved and dropped in multiple places. Starlet gasped in shock and abruptly sat up, and then soon had to balance herself to keep from falling over. She struggled to get to her feet, but the quake only grew more violent. The world rippled around her, and great clods of dirt and dust were thrown up and down around her. Underneath, Starlet felt the ground creaking and groaning, and soon after she began to hear it do so. It was as if the world had turned into a monster. Instinctively, Starlet ended up doing the only thing she could think of. As the quake reached its peak, she reached over and grabbed Phoenix, attempting to shield her.

But at that moment, the ground gave way. A massive fracture appeared in the earth right over Starlet and Phoenix's location as the ground split in four locations. It quickly grew into a massive crack as the earth continued to rock, and within moment, Starlet screamed out as both she and Phoenix went tumbling into the rapidly opening pit. The ground continued to heave as they fell in, jutting huge shelves and faults of rock and earth into the air. But soon, they both vanished inside, and after they had done so, Lich Z bellowed a laugh and then swung his hand downward. As it did, the ground rushed back together and crushed in on the central location. The rock shelves cracked, and tons of rock and dirt fell back in over the hole where Starlet and Phoenix had vanished. The impact was chaotic, causing a cacophony of impact and crushing around the area where it was taking place. After doing so, the tremors continued for a little longer, but then they too died down into nothing. In a moment, all was still on the field, and there was no sign of Starlet or Phoenix save the remnants of the fracture.

Lich Z grit his terrible teeth and sneered. _"Rest in pieces."_

"Hey Lich!"

The Earth Fiend soon perked up his head at this, just as he was beginning to gloat over his victory. What he saw was the much-more-massive Water Fiend, slithering toward him. Held in two of his coils were a couple of limp, dead-looking snake bodies. It was obviously the two other espers, but they were so bloody and bashed at this point it was hard to tell the difference. Kraken grinned with his single teeth and approached right next to the fracture, then waved the lifeless creatures in front of Lich Z.

"Your corpses got room for a couple of worms?"

Lich Z snickered at that, and soon broke out into a ghastly, cold laugh. Kraken soon joined in as well, laughing along with the fellow Fiend, before he threw, not dumped, both snake espers into the fracture as well. Part of the crater had been filled in, but there was still more than enough space in it to prevent anyone from seeing the bottom with the naked eye. Both snake bodies soon vanished into the crater as well. After they did so, Kraken swelled his own huge grinning mouth, and aimed at the hole.

"Aqua-ject!"

Immediately, not one, but three disks of water erupted from Kraken's mouth, one after the other. It looked like he was spitting them. The disks headed straight for the hole and dug into the soil and rock on the sides. But this time, they didn't continued to cut deep down, but instead circled around and cut into all of the soil and rock surrounding the area. They sliced into the shelves that had come out, down into trenches, and came back out and did again. As they did, the ground around them was saturated by the water. It began to grow thick, dark, and heavy, and then dripped off into the hole. More rocks and dirt came, and as they got wetter the dirt turned into a thick, soupy mud. It ran into the hole from all sides and quickly began to fill it. After a minute or so, the hole was made level again, and filled to the brim with thick, inescapable mud. Only then did the Aqua-ject cease, leaving Kraken and Lich Z to laugh over the area.

"Not bad."

_"Maybe we should plant some flowers. Heh…"_

Both Fiends sensed movement shortly after, and they turned their heads up to the source. Looking invigorated and excited, Kary was walking in her slow, seductive manner over to the hole. She was slowly returning the Pyrosuken to her sheath, and strolling over to the mud site. She smiled wickedly through her thin lips on her white face, and soon joined the other two Fiends at their site.

"Wanna throw yours in the stew too, Kary?" Kraken snickered.

Kary snorted, but smiled. "'Fraid there's not anything left but ash of mine." She cooed. "But I can patch this little hole." With that, she aimed an open palm at the hole, and calmly uttered her own spell. "Flame."

Immediately, ripples of heat gathered around the site, and a moment later they condensed and began to glow. A bit afterward, they turned into flames, and began to burn over the area. Lich Z, realizing his weakness, lost his smile and inched back nervously from the fire. Kraken likewise frowned at it uncomfortably. Kary didn't care. She just continued to focus and let it burn. Quickly, the soupy mud began to turn hard again, once more becoming hard, packed dirt. Kary manipulated her flame so that the ground wouldn't swell, but would form a solid mass. Soon, the ground was hard again, and the Fire Fiend cut off her flame. She then grinned and patted her foot on top of the dirt, as if it was a well done digging job.

"They should thank us." She sneered. "We actually bothered digging them a grave and burying them."

The other two Fiends laughed at this. Lich Z slapped his remaining good hand against one of Kraken's tentacles in a gesture of victory and personal achievement.

_"Heh…I knew in the end they had nothing on us."_

"That was more amusing than humans, but still a pathetic display."

"Definitely better than humans. Though maybe if humans fought back they'd be as interesting."

"Hmph…good enough…"

At this, the other three Fiends stopped talking and gloating, and turned their heads over to their leader. Tiamat hadn't moved an inch since the fight began. Still, he didn't move. His arms were crossed and he gazed at the others coldly. A dark smile was still on his face, but he seemed more businesslike and less casual now.

"But I could have done it myself in half the time." Tiamat finished. The other Fiends blustered a little at this, but said nothing else. They merely looked a bit upset and turned their faces to the ground. "I wonder…were you three actually having fun with them, or were they giving you trouble?"

The other three fiends immediately looked infuriated and insulted at this. Lich Z grit his teeth and clenched his remaining fist. Kary's teeth clenched and her own hands balled into fists. Kraken snarled and stiffened his tentacles.

_"No way!"_ Lich Z bellowed. _"They were never the slightest match for me! I'd be picking them out of my teeth bit by bit right now if I hadn't transformed!"_

"Oh, but you did, Lich." Tiamat replied, still smiling darkly. "So now, not only will you never be able to eat anything again, but you had your weakness exploited and will be one-armed for the rest of your days. And you, Kary…" Here, he turned to the Fire Fiend accusingly, and the one in question looked taken aback. "Is that sweat I see on your brow? Were you feeling excitement in your battle, or fear?" He turned his head to the Water Fiend next, and shook his head in a mock sad fashion. "And you, Kraken…I'm surprised at you. You were not only incapacitated by a puny attack, but one of your own making. Honestly, no wonder these people have been giving Griever so much trouble, if you three are who's taking care of it."

All of the other fiends stiffened in anger at this, but not one of them dared speak. Strong as they were, Tiamat was not only far stronger but also knew how to exploit each one of their weaknesses. They were nothing to him. They merely had to take the punishment. In the end, Tiamat turned back to Lich Z. "You had better not have buried them too deep. In case you forgot, Griever will have _your_ head if you don't bring back theirs."

Lich Z looked downcast a moment, but then raised his skeletal head and chuckled. _"No problem. I'll just wait a half an hour to make sure they full suffocated, then I'll go get them."_

"The rest of you had better do better next round." Tiamat further warned. "These five were the weaklings. Griever said there were seven in all, and we haven't encountered the ones that gave Lich so much trouble. Don't waste time with them. I don't want to have to do it myse-"

"YAAAH!"

Instantly, all Four Fiends cut themselves off and turned their heads to the sound. The moment they did…the world seemed to change. At once, it seemed like it was nightfall. The moon was out…and it was full…an impossible thing for the world was covered with clouds. Yet it was out, and now everything seemed spectral and dark. The air grew colder. Sound grew quieter. The wind blew more harshly. It was as if the Four Fiends had suddenly been taken into another world.

But that wasn't what caught their attention.

When the Four Fiends turned, theysaw a dark horse and rider charging straight at them. They didn't have any time to recognize the horned helmet, the red-blazing eyes, or the six-legged steed he mounted. All that they saw was the flash of brandished steel flying over its head, as it swung a deadly curved blade over it. They couldn't move. They couldn't dodge. The form was already on top of them, having seemed to jump out of the darkness and come upon them at once. The horse was already lunging, and the rider was headed straight for the nearest fiend: Kary.

Kary alone saw the rider zero in on her. His muscles were bulging. His eyes were flaming. On the horse, he seemed taller and stronger than anything ever before. He seemed like a monster himself, or an otherworldly being. He seemed powerful. He seemed invincible. And now, he was coming right for Kary, sword bearing down right on her.

Kary was unable to react or move. Instead, she could only stare. And as she did, her previously excited brain became wracked with fear. Not just fear…terror. Her primal brain, unable to realize the full matter of what she was seeing or who it was, or able to judge anything elsein the short length of time, focused only on the shock and surprise of what was going on. She saw only the power of the incoming being. And when she saw it, terror pervaded her. Doubt entered her mind. For the first time ever, the Fire Fiend felt genuinely afraid. Afraid for her life. Afraid she was too weak. Afraid that there was no way she could possibly survive this. She only stared, totally aghast and shocked.

The horse and rider blazed by her. As they did, the rider swung his powerful blade once, and continued to hold it in the swung position as he rolled by. His horse continued to move away from the Fiends, carrying him back a safe distance. Once it had done so, it slowed to a trot, and finally stopped. The rider did not look around. He kept his head forward, and his blade extended. The other Four Fiends stood in shock a moment. But after a time, Tiamat, Kraken, and Lich Z turned their heads to Kary. The Fire Fiend blankly stared forward. Her eyes were still frozen open. Her body was motionless. She didn't say or do anything. Even as the others calmed down, she stayed in the same position.

Then, very slowly…her upper torso slid off of her lower torso on a diagonal cut. A moment later, it fell off all together.Blood began to pour out of both halves.

The sky turned back to normal. The world returned to its former state. The rider inhaled deeply once, exhaled, and then finally lowered his blade and turned his horse back around. Lich Z stared in dumbfounded silence. Kraken blinked his beady eyes in shock. Tiamat kept his arms crossed, but his smile had vanished. A look of surprise replaced it.

Kary, the Fire Fiend, lay dead at their feet.

The three remaining Fiends turned and looked up to the killer. Soon, they recognized him. He was beat up and a little burnt looking. He seemed sore, and was barely holding himself in his saddle. He panted a little and was covered with sweat, but continued to glare at them coldly. It was the esper from before.

Odin still stood.

"You…how…how could…trash like you…?" Kraken gasped.

Lich Z merely gnashed his teeth. _"You… How DARE you strike one of us down! I'll pay you back a hundred fold!"_

Odin merely forced himself to stop panting and glared coldly. "I don't think you're the one to make demands anymore. I told you I'd kill you all, and I'll do it. You just saw how easily I killed her. I'll do the same to each one of you unless you surrender now." He drew his blade and pointed to the ground. Kraken and Lich Z actually backed away a bit when he drew it. "Dig them up right now, or someone else is next."

Kraken sneered, but glared at Odin in disbelief. "You…you're a mere ant! You couldn't…possibly have the power to…"

"Fool. My true power has no limit!" Odin snapped back, cutting him off. "I'm getting impatient! What is it going to be? Are you going to dig them out of that tomb, or am I going to fill it with _you_?"

Lich Z and Kraken stared back in shock for a little while. They didn't say anything. In their minds, they couldn't possibly grasp ever ascenting to anything other than a higher Fiend or Griever. It was far beyond them. They were used to being gods of the dark world and thought of nothing else. To ascent to someone as weak as Odin was almost a foreign concept to them. Yet at the same time they saw with their own eyes how easily Kary died. And now the esper was threatening them. They didn't want to be next, and despite all their gloating if they were targeted next, then they could soon be laying in pieces too. They didn't know what to say, and the pause made Odin grit his teeth in anger. He was about to do something with or without their ascent, and they didn't know what to do.

But at last, something did break the silence… Tiamat's laughter.

The esper and two fiends turned to him at this, wondering what was the cause. Tiamat's smile had returned, and his arms were still calmly crossed. He grinned wickedly at Odin for a few moments, all the while laughing darkly and seeming malicious. Odin seemed to get a bit unnerved at this, but he didn't say or do anything. At last, Tiamat shrugged. "Alright, esper…you win. Kill me."

Odin seemed nervous for a moment at that. However, his confidence quickly returned, and he snapped back at him. "I really will."

Tiamat chuckled a bit more at that. Then, abruptly, his face went serious, and he glared menacingly at the esper.

"Let's see you _try_ it."

Odin hesitated again at this. This seemed to strike a chord with him. However, in the end, he grit his teeth once more. He gave out a war cry, and reared up on his steed. As he did, the sky once again turned black. The moon once more seemed to come out. The air grew even stiller and colder than before, and Odin seemed to triple in size on his horse this time. He yelled out horrible war cries, and he swung his sword so hard that it flashed like lightning. Kraken and Lich Z both stiffened a little, and drew back a bit. This was much worse than last time. To them, it looked like he was merely adding a little more power to cleave Tiamat in half. But Tiamat didn't change. He kept smiling and waited.

Giving one last cry, Odin let his steed down and barreled straight for Tiamat. The six-legged horse tore up the ground. Clods of dirt and dust flew up behind him. Each footstep sounded like thunder. The sword flashed with terrible light, and he drew closer and closer to Tiamat. Lich Z and Kraken shrank back more and were transfixed on the sight. But Tiamat confidently waited. Odin drew closer and closer, and still he waited, not moving, not preparing to react, but just waiting. At last, Odin was on top of him, and the esper swung his blade once more, this time at Tiamat…

…and was suddenly ripped off of his steed. As Zantetsuken connected, it was as if Odin had been hitting a boulder with a light stick. The sword clanged harmlessly against Tiamat as if he was invincible, and moved no more. Odin had put everything he had into the swing, so when it hit his momentum traveled into Tiamat while his steed's kept moving, and so he had become disengaged from the animal. Now, it ran off into the distance, while Odin harmlessly held his blade against Tiamat, not having made a scratch.

Odin was suspended in mid-air a moment, glaring at Tiamat. But now, his own eyes were wide open with shock and a hint of fear. His own body tensed up, and sweat came from his brow. After a moment, he broke off and landed on the ground, but he was so weak and injured at this point that he couldn't stand. He almost instantly dropped to his knees, him and his sword clattering to the ground. He panted hard, and struggled to catch his breath and regain his strength. Tiamat didn't look miffed at all. He smiled confidently down at the fallen Odin a moment, and then turned his head slightly to Lich Z and Kraken again confidently.

"Here's a fast lesson for you two cowards." He sneered. "This esper's just as weak as the others, no real threat to any of us. Kary was stronger than him as well. Her mistake was that she let her fear get out of control. This esper found a way to use one's own fear as a weapon against them through his blade. She doubted she could survive him, and so she died. But I knew all along that there is nothing on this world save Griever that could ever match me. And so his attack was as meaningless as his existence."

Odin panted a bit more on the ground, but managed to look up to the other Fiends. Now, Lich Z and Kraken were getting what Tiamat was saying. When they did, they immediately began to smile and look cocky and confident again. They soon began to chuckle and laugh, and glared at Odin darkly. The esper spat out some blood, but then looked up and glared at Tiamat. The Wind Fiend looked back down in a superior fashion at him, not even looking troubled. Odin, seeing this, grit his teeth anew. He summoned all the strength he had left, seized the Zantetsuken, and shot back up again. He raised his sword over his head, ready to strike down on Tiamat with everything he had…

"YARRGH!" He bellowed, his eyes blazing and muscles shooting up again.

"Electro-volt." Tiamat answered in a bored sounding tone.

Immediately, the sky grew pitch black once again. But this time there was no moon, and the air grew charged and humid rather than dry and cold. Odin didn't even have time to notice these changes. Instead, he could only react as a white-hot bolt of electricity suddenly shot from the dark clouds overhead and struck the Zantetsuken. Immediately, the charge transferred to the rest of his body, and Odin blazed all over as if he was made of light. Lightning snaked around him, and Odin continued to cry out…not in war passion but in agony. The lightning reverberated through him again and again, frying him inside and out and sapping his strength dry while ruining his body. In the end, he could take no more. When the lightning died down, the esper let Zantetsuken slump lifelessly from his grasp, and then he fell in a lifeless pile to the ground. The sky cleared again, and now Odin's body was more blackened than ever, and smoke and sizzing sounds arose from it.

Tiamat again glared down on his adversary and smiled. "Well, it appears I did have to actually use a tad of my power. I suppose I didn't really have to, but I couldn't resist teaching you a hands-on lesson on the danger of crafting armor and blades to fight a lightning-casting entity."

Odin merely groaned slightly, still in the burned and dissheveled heap. He struggled to raise his head, but could barely move it. In the end, Tiamat reached down, seized him by the neck, and then hoisted him up so that he was dangling over the ground in front of him by his head.

"To tell you the truth, I don't actually mind you killing Kary. She was unnecessary, though I'm sure Griever will simply make another Fire Fiend if he needs one. However, Lich over there said he was going to make you pay a hundred fold for her death, and I'd be mean not to let him slowly cut you into a hundred pieces from the legs up."

Both Lich Z and Kraken cackled at that. The Water Fiend licked a purple tongue over his fat mouth. Lich Z brandished his claw dangerously. Odin managed to open a burnt eye and glare at them, but other than grit his teeth a little he could do nothing. His strength was totally spent, and by now his friend espers had to be nearly asphixiated, buried under the tons of rocks and dirt. Everything had gone wrong. They hadn't been the slightest bit ready. The only thing he had managed to do was kill one fiend, only to learn that Griever could make more of them whenever he needed. He had to have assumed that. How else had he made the first four fiends? Everything was futile in the end. They had availed nothing. Even if Bahamut and Wyvern were present, they'd be dead in minutes. It was hopeless.

The three Fiends continued to glare at him menacingly and laugh for a few moments with malicious looks. Odin could only stare back at them helplessly. But then, all of the sudden, Kraken formed a puzzled expression. He turned and looked down to one part of his body, as did the other Fiends and Odin. When the esper did, he immediately filled with fear.

He had forgotten Palad, and now the boy was foolishly and futilely hacking away at Kraken's side with his axe.

"You monster!" The boy screamed out, furiously attacking as hard as he could. He didn't even notice that his axe was chipping rather than leaving damage. His eyes were flooded with tears. His face was red with rage. "You killed my parents! You killed my brother! You killed my friends!" He sobbed hysterically. "I'll slice you to pieces myself!"

Odin struggled to grunt under the fist. He wanted to tell the boy to run. No…he wanted to _scream_ for him to run. If he had the strength, he would have used the last of it to kick free of Tiamat, board Slepnir, seize Palad and take the boy as fast and far away as he could. Right now, he could barely croak "no" from his crushed windpipe. And soon, his voice was drowned out as all three remaining Fiends laughed hideously at the sight. They were mocking him…mocking him just like they mocked all of the espers…just like they mocked anything they killed or were going to kill… They thought this sight was so hilarious, however, that they nearly fell down laughing. They bellowed it horribly, rolling and chortling all the while. The entire time tears streamed down Palad's face. They were mocking his pain. It meant nothing but amusement to them. Nothing in the world was sacred or worthwhile to them…only their own horrible power.

"Look at this!" Kraken bellowed in between his own tears of mirth. "Heh! Maybe if all the humans band together like this one, they'll give me a rash!"

Snickering all the while, Kraken suddenly swiped out a thin end of one of his tentacles, lashed it around Palad's throat, and then hoisted him up in the air. His axe tumbled from his grip as Palad was suddenly choked. He raised his hands to his neck and pulled at it desperately, struggling to breathe. But his airway was cut off, and he could do nothing. Seeing this, terror pierced Odin's heart. Somehow, he managed to cry out despite his battered body.

"Stop… Don't…"

Kraken and the others noticed him. They stopped laughing, and turned over to him. After a moment, Kraken grinned wickedly. Palad continued to fight against him, struggling for air. "Don't what?" He asked innocently. Then, he turned his beady eyes back to Palad. "Don't do this?"

"NO!" Odin managed to scream. But it was too late. Without the slightest hint of pity, Kraken tightened his coil around Palad's neck. A moment later, Odin heard a small snap, and Palad's struggles ceased instantly. His hands and legs went totally limp, and his eyes were frozen in one final look of horror. Only now, they were lifeless, glazed over and without any indication of life. His mouth hung open loosely, and Odin's own mouth hung open now. A cold knife had just gone into his heart. A part of himself just died, and he felt as if his insides were breaking.

Palad was dead.

Kraken immediately began to laugh at Odin's misfortune, and cast Palad's body to the ground as if he was so much trash. Lich Z joined in with his own hideous laugh, and Tiamat merely smiled. Odin glared emptily at the sight, and struggled not to cry himself. He had never shed tears his entire life, and he wasn't going to do so now. Yet he couldn't deny how empty he felt…and how much he hated the Fiends at that moment. He would have given anything to punch one of them in the throat and stop their hideous, evil laughing.

"You…bastards…" He choked out. "He was just a boy…"

"Of course he was." Kraken chuckled. "And they're too stringy to chew up."

"If you feel upset, esper, then you should hate him or yourself more than anything." Tiamat simply answered. "You're going to die because of your stupid, meaningless connection to this insect. There are thousands like him in this world, and thousands like him die every day. But because you had to get sentimental about this one you're here slowly dying."

"You're worse than monsters…" Odin continued. "You don't care about any life at all…"

_"All life will eventually be crushed and fade…"_ Lich Z simply replied.

"…and yours will end soon…" Kraken chuckled.

"…but ours will last forever." Tiamat finished. "There is no meaning or purpose to this mortal life. It will all end anyway, probably miserably. But we exist forever. Why should they live if they're going to die anyway? Why shouldn't we revel in our own immortality? Why shouldn't we at least give their pointless deaths some meaning by making us, the ones that will matter forever, happy?"

"You're insane…" Odin gasped.

The three Fiends merely continued to laugh. Nothing mattered to them. There was nothing sacred in the world to them. They thought of nothing but themselves. Odin grew furious at them. They had to die. If nothing else, they had to die. Someone…someday…had to kill them. They were a pestilence. They were a disease…a plague to all life. They had to die.

"You know…it's a good thing you did kill Palad. Now I have no reason to hold back."

Again, the Fiends were cut off, and turned their heads to a new sight. Odin did as well, and could immediately sense a tremendous increase in power. A new figure had entered the battlefield. He slowly hovered and landed on the ground. His muscles throbbed with power, and his own eyes were dangerous and blazing with strength. His own arms were crossed, and he smiled triumphantly over the field before the fight had even begun.

Wyvern had arrived.

* * *

It was time.

The months of focus had paid off. It had been worth it being in there. It was dark…quiet…so long as Wyvern wasn't running around. No distractions of any kind…no obligations… He only had to focus. And now, it was paying off. He finally felt like he was in control of his latest technique. He wasn't sure if that was his Omniapex, but he did feel it made him considerably stronger. He was much more than he had been before.

And contrary to what Wyvern thought, his senses were sharper than ever. Now, he sensed every thing. He knew the moment Odin decided to lead the charge on the Four Fiends. The entire time he scanned their powers and knew they were totally inadequate for the job. And he listened to all of their thoughts as each one of the espers was violently struck down, and each one of the Four Fiends mocked their agony. Apparently, Odin had managed to fell one of them, but that was sheer luck. The others…Tiamat and Kraken…were far more powerful. Bahamut couldn't even tell if he was a match for them yet. However, he knew he had to go regardless when the one thought came.

When he sensed Palad's thoughts cease and his power vanish.

Bahamut's eyes opened. Calmly, he rose from his new position. Where the old effort might have taken a little straining and work, every move he made seemed effortless now. He had improved much, and he hoped that it was enough. He turned his head up, looking to the great crater Wyvern had made in the prison. Crusader was still not around. He couldn't even sense her. But the time for waiting was done. The esper unfurled his wings, and then took off.

His speed was a blur now. In an instant, a blip had soared into the sky and then halted in mid-air, then after a moment readjusted itself and shot like ashooting startoward the mountain ring.

* * *

To be continued...

How will Wyvern and Bahamut do? Can Bahamut have gotten any stronger from just sitting and meditating? Find out next time...


	13. Savior

"Looks like one's already gone…" Wyvern remarked, staring down at the remains of Kary. "Oh well, there's still plenty left." He confidently added. "Which one of you will be first? Or all of you together?"

Tiamat staredexpressionlessly at Wyvern and his arrival.In then end, however, he raised an eyebrow, and then released Odin, letting the nearly drained esper fall to the ground once again. ButOdin had managed to recover a bit from the pain, and was now able to keep his head orientated in the right direction when he landed. He too was focused on Wyvern. To be honest, he was amazed to see his current status. Odin was the warrior esper. He wasn't as in tune with the Planet as the others, but his battle techniques had been clear as day in his mind ever since he was born. As the warrior esper, he thought that he was always destined to be the strongest. That was why he was fearful even if Bahamut and Wyvern arrived. But now, unless he was deceived, he believed that Wyvern's own power was higher than his maximum with his Zantetsuken.

Unfortunately…he still doubted it would be enough.

_"Hey, Tiamat!"_

Odin, though not addressed, turned his head to this, along with everyone else. They soon found themselves looking at Lich Z. The Earth Fiend himself was pointing back to the muddy patch of ground where the others had been buried alive. However, it was changing now. The crust of the soil was slowly pushing back, and something beneath it was coming out. Odin's own breath caught. It wasn't possible…but could it be?

A wave of relief came over him when he realized it was. The snouts of Leviathan and Ogopogo suddenly broke through the dirt, and wriggled out. As they pulled their dusty bodies, however, they also were coiled around things and pulled them out as well. They were the battered, dirt-covered bodies of Starlet and Phoenix. Both looked dead, but Odin heard them gasp for air as they broke through the surface. At once, it made sense to the warrior esper. Of course. Leviathan and Ogopogo could both stay submerged for hours on end, and their bodies were one giant rope muscle to propell themselves through surfaces. The two espers had just saved the group, however shortly…

Kraken snorted at them and chuckled. "No problem. It'll only take me a moment to bury them under twice as many tons of mud."

Tiamat frowned. "No wasting time with them this time. Just kill them outright. By now, Griever's probably wondering where we are."

"Uh, hello?" Wyvern suddenly announced. "Forget about me? You aren't killing anything else today or ever again. And by the way, after I've thrashed you into the ground, I'm going to go wipe the floor with your leader."

Tiamat turned back to Wyvern and snorted at him. "Well, this one's both foolish and ignorant. Griever is unstoppable. What more, he is the only one who can defeat me, so that makes me, for all purposes, unstoppable as well."

Wyvern merely grinned. "Heh. Not after today. I've attained a totally new level of strength. And since I've been training so much more than Bahamut has, I'd say that makes _me_ the strongest in the world. But hey, you don't have to take my word for it."

Immediately, Wyvern dug his feet into the ground, flung out his wings, and began to summon his power.

"You can see for yourself the moment before you're destroyed!"

Wyvern opened his mouth. He didn't do a small Pyrin this time, but began to generate full strength for the biggest one he could muster. Accordingly, a fiery glow soon built up all around his mouth. A blazing, blinding fire came from his throat. All the air around him grew warm and rippled furiously, and the grass around him began to whip up and smolder from the power he was casting off. Tiamat raised an eyebrow again, but then simply turned and faced Wyvern, crossing his arms again. Wyvern's feet dug into the ground, struggling to contain the power. But still he put more into it, putting every last bit of strength he had. He thought about the agony that would be on Tiamat's face, and relished the thought of it. The Wind Fiend would never know what hit him.

At last, Wyvern opened his mouth wider and bellowed the attack. "Pyrin!"

Aconcentrated ball of fire ripped out of Wyvern's mouth, so powerfulthat the esper actually dragged his feet backwards a few feet from the recoil. His head snapped back violently. The ball had not changed size, but was now a blinding red and yellow. The light was dazzling and radiant, and a great cloud of fire and energy trailed off of it. The attack seared the ground around it, and both Lich Z and Kraken stared at it in surprise. But the orb wasn't for them, it was for Tiamat. And it bore straight at the Wind Fiend. In truth, the attack was slow. The Wind Fiend might have been able to dodge it. However, he didn't. He just waited for it to come. Wyvern recovered and watched his own attack.His gaze was earnestly fixed on Tiamat as he balled his claws into fists excitedly as he grinned. At last, the Pyrin was a moment from hitting the Wind Fiend…

Then,he smiled wide.

He uncrossed his arms, and with a simple backhand slapping motion, smacked the Pyrin away.

Odin, who had been watching this exchange, was shocked at how much power that Wyvern had managed to summon. Yet what he feared the most had happened now. The Pyrin was strong, but he saw as Wyvern continued to summon the strength he hit a wall once it matched his own power. Tiamat was unfortunately much stronger. The orb now cut a flaming arc through the air before striking the ground nearly half a mile away. Immediately, a gigantic explosion of fire resulted, and a shockwave of heat flooded over the area. Odin felt it too even from this distance. Pieces of dust rained down on all present, and closer to the explosion rocks and clods fell to the ground as well. A smoldering, blackened crater was left behind. The attack left even more damage than Kary's Macro-pyrobol had. But in the end, the only thing that was hurt was the ground. Tiamat hadn't even been phased by it.

All of Wyvern's excitement and revalry vanished in an instant. His grin and confidence were replaced by overwhelmed amazement. His jaw fell and he gaped at Tiamat, totally in disbelief that anything could exceed the power he had found. His arms fell limply to his sides in a gesture of defeat. "That's…impossible…" Wyvern spoke slowly. "That…that was my…strongest attack…"

Tiamat remained rock solid in his gesture, accentuating the moment of Wyvern's failure when he had so easily knocked the attack aside. But in the end, still smiling, he slowly lowered it. The back of his hand was smoking a little, but other than that Odin saw no damage at all. He blew on the end of it, and the smoke quickly cleared. "Impressive little trick." He acknowledged. "If I had let it hit me, I definitely would have gotten a little burn. But you seriously overestimated yourself and underestimated me. Like I was saying. For all purposes to you, I'm unstoppable. Invincible, even. And if you're the strongest esper, then I wasted my time coming here in the first place. We never had anything to fear from any of you."

Wyvern was aghast. Odin was cursing inwardly. He prayed to God that Wyvern had been too cocky, that Bahamut was indeed stronger. However, he doubted it. He couldn't fathom anyone else being that much stronger than him. The espers, he began to realize and fear, had reached their limit. But Wyvern couldn't move. The blow, Odin noticed, had fallen hardest on him. He looked totally unable to accept the fact that he was so much weaker…so minor compared to Tiamat…that all of his own increases were inconsequential. It seemed to rob him of the will to fight. Now, Lich Z and Kraken began to look to Wyvern menacingly, and began to grin and start their terrible chuckling and laughter again. Again their own cowardice vanished in the face of confidence and wickedness.

Odin desperately wished he had the power to communicate through minds. If he did, he would have told the others to run while they still had time, if they could. They may have dug themselves out only to die in a moment.

"I'd let Lich or Kraken finish you." Tiamat went on. "Lich has been talking of nothing but revenge against you and your brother for months. But your idiot brother is no doubt coming, so he can have him. As for you…" Tiamat grinned a bit wider. "I'd like to repay you for that little gesture by showing you a glimpse of my full power. You see…I have to be gentle with everything in this world. If I used my full strength I'd obliterate it before I even got close. You, however, seem to be capable of taking it."

With that, the Wind Fiend unfurled his wings, let loose his tail, and crouched a bit into a ready position. Wyvern merely continued to stare. After a moment, he trembled a little, and began to lean back, actually taking a step backward. Tiamat went on. "You're free to try and block this or dodge this, if you like. Why not try one of those silly Pyrin things again?"

Wyvern didn't move. He gaped and began to look a bit fearful.

"No?" Tiamat chided. "Fine. Here I come."

BAM

The ground rumbled from the impact of the blow. Odin blinked in shock, and then looked around to Wyvern. To him, Tiamat had suddenly vanished in a blur from his old position. If he had blinked he wouldn't even have seen the blur. But now, the Wind Fiend was on Wyvern, and his fist was imbedded in Wyvern's stomach. The esper was doubled over, and Odin could actually see a small bulge from the other side of his back. The esper wasn't groaning or breathing. His mouth was open, and it was evident that all wind had been knocked out of him.

Tiamat calmly smiled, and cooly drew himself back and up into a standing position. He calmly crossed his arms and relaxed once more. Wyvern remained in his hunched over position for a moment. Odin watched, and blood slowly began to dribble out of both sides of his mouth. Then, at last, the esper collapsed in a heap to the ground. He didn't even have the strength to clutch his middle in agony. His power had vanished completely in a fraction of a second, and the esper couldn't even move. Kraken gave out his hideous laugh again, and Lich Z soon joined in as well. They were all again the helpless laughingstock of the Fiends.

"I should thank you." Tiamat said. "That felt great, to actually have something last long enough for me to express my full power into it. I'd love to strike you again, but I know a second blow would kill you, assuming you aren't dead now or are going to be dead in the next few minutes." The Wind Fiend raised his head and looked to Lich Z, gesturing to Wyvern. "You can do what you like with him, Lich." He then turned his gaze. "As for you, Kraken, finish the others."

The thing grinned and dribbled slime again. "Gladly."

Lich Z gnashed his razor teeth. _"My day has finally come."_

Odin sighed and shut his own eyes. It was over now. He hoped somewhere that Bahamut would stay away, but even if he did he doubted he'd ever have the strength. Maybe he could get Crusader to help. That was their only chance now. For right now, they were dead…

_Click._

Odin continued to look down in defeat for a moment, until he realized he had heard a noise. Something had just touched down. He looked up, and sure enough, the other Fiends were looking over to a new sight. At that, Odin's heart filled with dread. His luck was continuing to go bad. He knew he was here now. He had come, and Odin nearly cursed him. Couldn't he detect the enemy's power? Couldn't he see he had no chance? Couldn't he see how futile and useless it was at this point? He almost didn't want to turn his head to look at him. He couldn't bear to see another one of them die trying to save this world.

And yet, as he did look around, he began to sense his power…

There he stood. His wings were calmly folded. His eyes were stern and his features were cold. His own hands were in fists at his side, and he said nothing. He showed no confidence or fear. He showed nothing, nothing but his own resolve. His gaze burned firmly on Tiamat. He looked at nothing else. The Wind Fiend, on his part, looked back at him with his own arms crossed, and regarded him with nothing. The other fiends stared for a moment too. Lich Z, however, was gnashing his jaws together in anger now, and glaring evilly at him. His hate blazed in his vision, and he began to summon his own power to himself. But he never even looked at the Earth Fiend. The new esper focused entirely on Tiamat, as if his fight was with him and him alone.

Bahamut had arrived.

Tiamat continued to stare at him for a moment more. Bahamut said nothing to him, just glared at him coldly. In the end, the Wind Fiend cracked another smile. "I guess we will finish up today. Lich, kill him. I'm getting annoyed with his staring."

_"Oh, way ahead of you, Tiamat…"_ The Earth Fiend hissed, malicious but no longer smiling. _"I've been dreaming about you endlessly, trash. I've been thinking of nothing but slicing you to pieces. Now that I've transformed, there's nothing you can do to stop me."_ The thing hissed and continued to build its power. Red steam came from its eye sockets, and its bones seemed to grow bigger. It brandished its bone claw, and then, giving an inhuman roar, suddenly leapt into the air and lunged straight for Bahamut. It brought it's claw behind it, and prepared to give a mighty blow to the esper, a mortal blow.

_"PREPARE TO-"_

Bahamut, never looking away from Tiamat, turned his head in Lich Z's direction, and uttered a calm word. "Pyrin."

Instantly, a Pyrin bigger, hotter, brighter, and stronger than Wyvern's erupted from Bahamut's mouth. In an instant, the esper was lost in the blinding glare and heat for a moment before the attack went far enough away from him so he could be seen. To Odin's shock, as he watched this exchange, Bahamut hadn't moved an inch from the recoil of his attack. The burning ball shot right for Lich Z in mid-air, and the blinding sight soon turned him into a shadow. Before it even erupted, Odin felt the intense, burning heat from the attack. But then, the blast connected with the Fiend, and a tremendous fiery explosion erupted, twice as big as Wyvern's. Odin couldn't watch. The thermal heat and brightness was searing his eyes, and he had to close them. But he did hear the sound. Lich Z's war cry turned to agony as the violent flames engulfed him. The explosion immediately vaporized the monster's torso, but as his body parts flew aside from the blast, the flames quickly fragmented and licked up the rest of his bones. The Earth Fiend's rage turned to horror and agony. The flames in his eyes, dim compared to the rest of the fire, were swallowed up into nothingness and vanished forever, before his skull was likewise consumed.

The heat at last died down, and Odin was able to open his eyes. The other espers, save Wyvern, at this point, had enough of their bearings to watch the sight too. They all shared the same shock. Their mouths opened, and their eyes shrank in their sockets. Another smoldering black crater was in the ground now…the largest one by far. It was a good ten feet deep in the middle of it. But more importantly, there were a few fragments of black ash and dust falling down into the center of it. Odin saw and recognized immediately. That was all that was left of Lich. The rest of him had been totally vaporized.

The warrior esper was overwhelmed. He turned his head to Bahamut, and continued to stare in shock. The esper hadn't even strained himself. He didn't even look away from Tiamat the entire time. Where before he had given Lich everything he had, he had dispatched the improved Lich without even trying. Odin could feel Bahamut's new power clearly now. Much to his surprise, his previously thought limit had been totally blown away. Bahamut's own strength far surpassed Wyvern's. Perhaps, Odin wondered, he had found the level of Omniapex.

And yet, the warrior esper was still fearful…for he felt even more power coming from the remaining Fiends… But now, Tiamat at last looked genuinely astonished. His own jaw had loosened, and he gazed at Bahamut in disbelief. As for Kraken, he was that much more surprised.

"He…he just…he just…destroyed Lich…and he was supposed to be unkillable in his Z form!"

Tiamat stared a bit longer, but then frowned and looked to the Water Fiend. "Don't flatter him so much. I could have easily killed Lich in that form, irregardless if you would have had trouble."

Kraken didn't react. "You…you dare…" He addressed Bahamut. "Strike down…one of our kind?"

"Lich died for his crimes and immorality against the people of this world." Bahamut spoke up at last, his voice perfectly calm and controlled, and never looking away from Tiamat. "And you will too. Now step away from my brother."

Tiamat paused a moment, but then calmly grinned. "Oh ho…getting a little ahead of ourselves, I think. My compliments to you, to be sure. Your little esper kin down there," Here, he gestured to Odin. "Managed to off one of our kind too. Only he did it by using Kary's own fear against her. You actually used your own raw strength to annihilate Lich. As for your brother," Here, he gestured to his own feet. "He was overconfident enough to say he had surpassed you. I'm a bit surprised…and pleased…to report that he was wrong. You're much stronger than him. Still, Lich was weak to fire in his transformed state. And both myself and Kraken far surpass him. He was the weakest of our kind."

Kraken sneered. A hate built in his beady eyes for Bahamut. He raised his tentacles and began to crush and constrict them angrily. "You esper bastards… You're beginning to sicken me. I'll break every bone in your body before I kill you-"

"No, Kraken."

Odin and Kraken alike were surprised at this reply. Both of them turned and looked to Tiamat, who had just spoken. The Wind Fiend had suddenly looked happier, and seemed far more enthusiastic and excited. His grin had grown, and he held out a stopping gesture to the Water Fiend.

"You can finish off the others, but leave him to _me._" He instructed. "Not that I doubt your power or skill. Oh no, you could finish him…although it might take you a while. But I'd be a fool to blow this opportunity. It was wonderful being able to express my full power on his brother, even if for only an instant. It will be fantastic to actually be able to fight for a while at that level, with an opponent who has the strength to return my blows. I may never get another chance at this. And you, for that matter, may never get to see the full, unadulterated strength of the Fiend of Air."

Kraken paused a moment, but he wasn't about to dispute with his superior in strength and rank. After a moment, he simply grinned too. "Whatever you say, boss." With that, he turned to Bahamut and chortled at him. "Consider yourself either lucky or damned. Tiamat barely ever agrees to fight in our little dealings. I can only imagine the pain that awaits you."

Bahamut never looked away from Tiamat. He continued to coldly glare at the confident, evil face. Yet as Odin looked on, a clear voice was suddenly in his mind.

_Odin._

The esper stiffened a bit on hearing that. "What?" He addressed aloud. Of course, no one else had heard anything. But he had clearly heard Bahamut's voice in his head. The esper, however, had never even looked away from Tiamat.

_You and the others…try to stay alive for a few minutes. I can't handle both Kraken and Tiamat at once._

Odin blinked in disbelief for a few moments, but was even more shocked when he suddenly heard a new voice in his head.

_Uh, Bahamut? We're kinda helpless at the moment. They've already beaten the life out of all of us._

Odin looked over to see the source of the noise he had heard. Soon, he focused on it, matching the voice to the body. Leviathan was laying in a pile with the others, but now his eyes were closed and he seemed to be concentrating as hard as he could. Bahamut's own eyes expanded a moment, but he kept his gaze on Tiamat.

_Leviathan? You've learned telepathy as well?_

_It's not easy…and I can barely hear you…and I can't focus…but yes. What can we do?_

_Do whatever you can. Don't bother trying to fight Kraken…just use whatever power you have left to stay away from him. But don't run just yet. You guys have to keep him occupied. If he jumps in on this fight I'm doomed._

_…Alright…I'll do what I can._

Odin pondered this latest turn. Well, someone else had surpassed him in another degree. It was a bit frustrating. However, he didn't focus on that right now. Instead, he tried to talk back. He wasn't sure if Bahamut could hear him simply thinking, so he simply said the words out loud.

"…They killed Palad."

_I know. Now it's their turn.

* * *

_

Tiamat, oblivious to all of this, once again reared into his ready position. Kraken, on his part, grinned and chuckled, and turned to his victims. But Bahamut couldn't focus on them. He had to concentrate on the Wind Fiend. Immediately, he went into his own ready position, and prepared himself for a battle. He focused all of his energy on Tiamat, and readied himself for a furious assault. This was going to take everything he had. He couldn't afford any screwups. He had to fight smart or he'd be down in seconds. The two stared silently at each other for a moment, not doing anything.

Then, in a flash, Tiamat took off like a bolt once again. He was nothing but a blur, and for all of Bahamut's new speed and power, all the esper could do was stare blankly at the Fiend before he was on top of him. With one powerful clawed fist, the Wind Fiend slugged Bahamut right across the face. The blow was tremendous, and a terrible flash of pain went across Bahamut's cheek from a power he didn't think existed. But even as Tiamat hit him, he loosened his own body up to take the hit, not trying to resist it to maximize damage. As such, his body went flying backward, shooting over the ground. Tiamat laughed in delight, and shot after him just as quickly. He soon caught up with him, and interlaced both hands together to form a double-fisted gesture. He raised them over his head, and prepared to bring them down right on Bahamut's chest as he still was sailing through the air from the impact of the first blow.

But as Tiamat swung his fists down, Bahamut suddenly regained control and put on a bit more speed. He tucked up his body, and Tiamat's blow hit only air. The Wind Fiend looked genuinely shocked, and soon was more shocked that he had to duck a powerful mid-air counter-kick from Bahamut. This was amazing. He thought that Bahamut would have been stunned and all but helpless after taking one hit. He was wrong, evidently…and that excited him. Tiamat spun around after dodging Bahamut's hit, whipping his tail around to smack the esper in the side. But Bahamut quickly put on the speed again and shot high into the air, avoiding the blow. Tiamat's tail hit nothing, and he looked up to the esper.

The Fiend grinned, and bellowed confidently. "You can't escape me!" With that, the Wind Fiend put on his own speed, and soon shot up after Bahamut twice as quickly. The esper looked down, and now was also surprised at how fast Tiamat caught up with him. However, Tiamat felt even more relish when he launched a flying uppercut right under Bahamut's jaw, with all his speed and power behind it. The impact sounded like thunder, and as Bahamut's head went spinning back, he began to delight in thinking how much damage such a blow from his power had done.

He was definitely not expecting Bahamut to only be stunned for a fraction of a second, and then use the power from the hit to spin in a mid-air somersault and smash his tail under Tiamat's own jaw, with a blow much stronger than anything he ever expected from the esper.

Now, the Wind Fiend went flying back a few feet, while Bahamut remained in his attack position for a moment. Yet Tiamat soon stretched out his arms and righted himself, and then hovered in mid-air staring at Bahamut. Bahamut himself relaxed a bit. He breathed a little now, but his gaze remained fixed and cold on Tiamat. The Wind Fiend glared at him in surprise. Slowly, he raised a claw to his face and felt under his chin. He quickly winced from the pain. Bahamut's blow had actually dented one of his scales, and he felt a nasty bruise already forming underneath them. He was surprised a bit longer, but then returned to his own confident look and smiled.

"I never thought anything at all besides Griever could ever hurt me." He commented. "I could have let the rest of your kind attack me until they wore their own arms and legs down to bloody stumps, and still I would have felt nothing. Yet you alone managed to inflict pain on me with your first hit."

Bahamut said nothing in response, but now caught his breath and stopped breathing hard. Tiamat grinned.

"What a worthy opponent you are of seeing my pure strength!"

* * *

"Heh…alright. Who's first?"

Kraken began to slither over to the downed espers. Odin grit his teeth at him in fury. With renewed hope, now that the Fiends were down to half their starting number, Odin was struggling to get up to fight more. But the lightning had sapped his strength. He was barely managing to move his arms and neck to drag himself into a better viewing position. He needed more time. He looked over to Wyvern, but he was still motionless. For all he knew, Tiamat had killed him. As for the others, they were wriggling around like dying insects.

Kraken licked his slimy lips, and gazed over his victims. He came to a halt about twenty feet away and focused on Starlet. Starlet was still struggling to catch her breath from being buried alive, and she was only able to pitifully drag herself a little. Phoenix, nearby to her, lay motionless and still, also appearing rather dead. Starlet alone focused on Kraken, her eyes full of fear and desperation. He pointed a tentacle to her and Phoenix. "You two first." He sneered. "You're plump and juicy looking. The worms are too gritty and small."

The Water Fiend chuckled a little, but then opened his mouth wide again. He summoned his strength for a moment, but then bellowed out his frightful attack. "Aqua-ject!"

Immediately, a new blade of water ripped from his mouth, headed straight for Starlet and Phoenix. The lady esper stared in terror. She struggled to move more, but she couldn't. She would never dodge the blade, and it would slice her in two in no time. Odin gaped in fear, and for a moment it seemed like the end. But then, miraculously…something happened. Phoenix suddenly sprung back to life, and looked full of renewed vigor. The firebird spread her wings out, shot into the air, seized Starlet by the shoulders, and then dragged her back as fast as she could. Moments later, the blade of water harmlessly cut into the ground and dissipated.

Kraken frowned, and looked up to the esper. Odin did as well, and felt a pleasant wave of relief fly over him. Phoenix was hovering in mid-air now, holding Starlet under her. Of course, Odin realized. Phoenix had been beaten, but she hadn't actually been felled by Lich Z. She had exhausted herself trying to do that attack to him. And though she had taken her share of pain since then, she still was the least damaged relative to the rest of them. Unfortunately, Odin realized, she also was the weakest relative to the rest of them. Phoenix had tried hard, but her power had increased the least over the past months. She was just weak compared to the rest.

Kraken sneered at her. "Playin' possum, eh?" He chided. "Not like it'll do you any good. You only extended your lifespan a few seconds longer."

Phoenix didn't reply. Instead, she suddenly began to glow again. Starlet herself felt the heat around her increase, and she looked up to the firebird as her eyes blazed again. She realized she was summoning the attack from before again. Odin, still struggling to even drag himself over to the battle zone, grinned at the sight. She obviously learned how to do the attack again, and if she could injure Kraken like she had injured Lich Z, maybe they could hold the Water Fiend off yet.The esper threw her wings forward and announced her attack. "Pyrimshad!"

As before, a bird of fire sloughed itself off of Phoenix and shot straight for Kraken. It didn't appear to be any stronger than the last one, but it was still a good attack.Kraken stood his ground like all the other Fiends had, waiting for the attack to hit him. Odin grew a bit nervous at this, thinking he was planning some sort of counter attack. However, he was wrong. The Water Fiend merely let the flames come to him, and watched as the attack connected with his body…

Immediately, the attack fizzled and disappeared into a plume of smoke.

The espers watching all gaped. Odin was overwhelmed. He hadn't expected the attack to do much damage, but to simply vanish into nothingness… What was worse, Phoenix groaned after the move, and collapsed to the ground along with Starlet. She didn't look as drained this time, but the firebird still was holding herself up by her wings and panting hard. Starlet was in a heap nearby, barely able to get up. As for Kraken, he merely snickered.

"Heh. That kinda tickled."

"That attack…" Odin croaked from his own position. "It critically injured Lich… How did it do nothing to you?"

"Wanna know?" Kraken chided in response. "I'll tell ya'. Lich was weak against fire to begin with, but he was even weaker in his Z state. But as for me, my natural element is water. And I don't know how smart you little bugs are, but when's the last time you tried starting a fire on water? If that little bit is the best you can do, then I'm afraid you're toast."

Odin stiffened in fear. That attack probably _was_ the best they could do. Everyone else was too weak to do anything else. Leviathan and Ogopogo were just starting to open their eyes and grow aware of their surroundings. Starlet was struggling to get in a crab position, but she still couldn't rise. Phoenix was too tired to move. Alone then, Odin scrambled to put his feet underneath him and push himself up. But as he spasmed to do it, his insides throbbed from the lightning strike, and he nearly collapsed all over again. Kraken chortled and opened his cavernous mouth again. Water raged and foamed deep in his black throat.

"Ain't got nuthin' else? In that case, let's pick up where we left off…me about to slice ya' into fish bait." He gaped wider, and began to bellow the words again. Odin clenched his fist in anger. There was nothing he could do. "Aqua-jec-"

Right as Kraken finished naming the attack, however, a shape shot up behind his head and gave him a powerful blow to the back of it. Kraken's mouth was immediately slammed shut as the top of his head was thrown down on top of the bottom. The black beady eyes gaped in surprise, and a moment later, dark purple blood splurted out from his mouth as the attack he was generating came forth anyway, cutting through his closed lips. Two horizontal cuts were made in his mouth, and the impact was great enough that the blade of water was knocked off target. The attack imbedded itself in the ground slightly to the left of Starlet and Phoenix. Odin noticed this, and he and an angry, bleeding Kraken quickly looked to who had done it.

The attacker was now on the ground, on its knees, barely supporting itself, and coughing up blood and who knew what else. Odin recognized it immediately as the fallen form of Wyvern. He must have recovered in the past few moments. However, it also seemed that any power he had recovered he had exhausted in that last move. He looked as pitiful as the rest of them now.

Kraken glared at him wickedly. "You guys are all just in a hurry to die, ain't ya'?"

* * *

Bahamut swung his own scaled fist at Tiamat's head, but the Wind Fiend quickly dodged and Bahamut hit only his blur. Instead, Tiamat bent over and brought his leg up, aiming for Bahamut's head. But the esper was just as speedy, and moved back as well to avoid the blow. Though they were in mid-air, Bahamut dropped a little and swung his legs in a sweeping motion at Tiamat's own. The Wind Fiend leapt over the blow, however, and spun around to bring his tail swinging toward Bahamut's own head. A great cutting sound went on the air as Bahamut dodged to the left, and Tiamat again his nothing. Bahamut spun around and aimed his own tail for Tiamat's side, but the Fiend did a mid-air flip to dodge it. As he came down, he stretched out his fist to bring it down heavy on Bahamut's head, and did so as quickly as he could to prevent the esper from dodging again.

However, Bahamut merely crossed one of his arms over him, and blocked the blow as it came down. The hit was powerful, but the esper still managed to stop it. Tiamat saw this and looked shocked, but not nearly so shocked as when Bahamut brought his other fist forward and smashed it into his face. The Wind Fiend's head snapped back violently from the blow, and his face looked agonized. But before Bahamut could even think about a follow up, Tiamat brought his blocked arm back with his other one, formed a double fist with them, spun around, and smashed both fists into Bahamut's own head. Now, it was the esper's turn to look agonized, and both his head and his body snapped back and went flying backwards through the air. Tiamat righted himself but took a breather, and watched the esper. He expected the esper to be a mile away before he could even move. However, Bahamut abruptly sprung to life, steadied himself, and halted his body in mid-air. Soon, he was flying in the sky again and holding, and he leveled his glare once again at the Wind Fiend.

Tiamat glared at him with a half frown for a moment. Blood trickled out of the Wind Fiend's nose, and his chin was swelling. His insides didn't feel too good either after getting pounded by another one of Bahamut's blows. But the esper wasn't doing that well either. His scaly lips were split and bleeding from both corners of the mouth. One of his eyes were black, and his own stomach was rather sore from Tiamat's beating. The esper was panting a bit, beginning to look short of breath. Tiamat was sweating a little, but other than that nothing. The Wind Fiend realized this, and smiled big at last.

"This fight is everything I hoped I would pit my full strength at and more." He announced in a pleased voice. "I'm actually feeling real pain from someone other than Griever. You're actually making me work to fight in this battle. I thank you for giving me a true challenge. You can't have any idea how disgusting it is to just stand in place to make your so-called opponents a joke, much less a real battle. You're worthy of my utmost skill and power.

"But now you have to realize what the outcome will inevitably be. Your base strength was lower to begin with, and now you're beginning to see a difference in our statuses. That divide will continue to grow until you are dead."

Bahamut continued to pant a little after hearing that. However, after a pause, he raised one of his own eyebrows. "You seem very confident." The esper commented. "I haven't even tried one of my special attacks yet."

Tiamat chuckled. "It doesn't matter. I'll let you in on a little secret, one your brother discovered too late. Your Pyrin attack can never be stronger than your basal power level. As long as you're weaker than the person you're fighting, it will never let you win no matter how much might you put into it. The same works for you. You're already weaker than me, so no Pyrin attack will save you."

To that, Bahamut merely smiled.

"Actually, I did recognize that drawback to the Pyrin. That's why I learned a new attack."

Now, it was Tiamat's turn to look surprised.

Bahamut immediately halted in mid-air, spreading his wings out. On doing so, he locked his neck and braced it, and then balled his hands into fists at his sides and tightened his position. He had to focus considerably to do this. He began to bring up the words locked inside his memory, and the attack that he had in mind began to come forward. It immediately burned stronger than the Pyrin. His throat was actually burning a little from the power of it. The light rays inside of hisbody began to pierce through, causing his neck to glow even as he focused. The air around him grew distinctly charged, and the sky seemed to grow a bit darker. Tiamat continued to pause and wait, but not with his normal amused expression. Instead, he fixated closely on the esper.

At last, Bahamut opened his mouth. His body tightened, and as a new blinding yellow light burst forth from his insides, small balls of light seemed to gather into his mouth. Very small balls, only specks, but still they gathered none the less. Bahamut's eyes began to blaze. The fire roared inside him as the air before him began to wave. His neck bulged slightly and the light continued to grow. Bahamut stiffened all over to hold the power. A burning sound began to be heard on the air, as if the attack was sucking air from all around to fuel it. Tiamat's eyes began to bulge, and somewhere inside them, the Fiend of Air seemed to get a light of recognition.

"It's…impossible…"

Bahamut was finally ready, and he snapped his head forward and announced his new and improved attack.

"Pyron!"

Immediately, not one, but _many_ balls of highly concentrated fire energy erupted from Bahamut's mouth. The esper struggled to keep his head straight as one ball after another erupted from his open jaw. They came out like water from a geyser, erupted in huge masses one after another in an almost steady stream. But all of them were aimed straight for Tiamat. The Fiend of Air recoiled a bit, watching them roar at him, each ball packing considerable power, and holding a payload together that was no doubt impressive. Bahamut continued to breathe out the attack for a few seconds, before closing his mouth and watching the balls sail to their mark. At last, Tiamat threw his arms forward, and announced his counter. "Electro-volt!"

Bahamut recoiled a bit himself, bracing for impact. But the attack didn't come. Tiamat, rather smartly, wasn't trying to hit him, but detonate the Pyron early in front of him. Rather smart move, he realized. A bolt of electricity snaked out and connected with the first fireball. However, rather than making both explode, the fireball seemed to immediately envelop the bolt and surround it, turning the white-hot attack flaming red. Immediately, the other balls landed on the frozen electricity, sinking into it and filling it. Each ball seemed to penetrate the bolt and add to the bright red that surrounded it. The flames and energy grew brighter and brighter as each new one settled in. At last, all of them had attacked it. And the moment they did, as if each one of the balls was still there in its isolated form…each fireball exploded from within the bolt, setting off one giant explosion after another that culminated into one gigantic fiery explosion.

Despite being farther away, Tiamat had barely intercepted the Pyron. Now, he shielded himself with his wings as the attack detonated. A great ball of red-hot flame burned in the sky, destroying the blackness and bathing the whole area bright red. Explosions raged within the ball like gas burning on the sun, casting out great flaming tongues everywhere. What more, the blast seemed to cast off more balls of fire, and a few of the balls flew out from the impact into every direction. Most of them did nothing, but a few did sail in Tiamat's way and detonated into great fiery blasts against his wings. They weren't as big as the central Pyron blast, and they didn't seem to do more other than annoy Tiamat, but they still were no doubt painful and large.

At last, the blast dissipated and subsided. Tiamat slowly undid himself, and looked out to Bahamut in genuine amazement. Bahamut, a bit sweaty now, also relaxed, and stared coldly back at Tiamat. Even blocking the Pyron, it had been a powerful attack that had still gotten partially through. The sky still echoed with the blast, and everything seemed extra still and calm as it eased down, as if even microscopic bits of life had fled from it. Neither opponent said anything. They merely stared at each other. Bahamut, in particular, waited for signs of surrender or unease from Tiamat. The Fiend of Air did nothing, only continued to fly there for a few moments more.

Then, Tiamat's face suddenly turned into an expression of joy.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" He exclaimed, in a voice of dark happiness that made Bahamut uneasy, despite his resolve to look unaffected. "You continue to astound me! You're making yourself into a more interesting opponent all the time. In all honesty, I never dreamed that another one would be able to pull off the Pyron."

Bahamut raised an eyebrow to this…for Tiamat was talking as if he was familiar with the attack. Tiamat picked up on this immediately, and his face reverted into a wicked smile.

"Here…let me show you how a true Pyron is done."

To Bahamut's horror, Tiamat now spread his wings out and braced his body as well. Only he gave out a hideous cry as he did so, freely announcing the terrible words, and sounding altogether loathesome and wicked in doing so. Furthermore, his throat erupted into an even brighter burning glow in no time, and continued to do so as he kept focusing. His voice began to shatter the air as the power was gathered to him, and his own body began to stretch and strain far more under the power. The sky definitely did turn dark now, and small bolts of electricity snaked around the Fiend's mouth as he stared wickedly at Bahamut. The esper could only look back in fear as Tiamat continued to summon…and then finally released.

_"Pyron!"_

Balls of fire, bigger, brighter, having small vapor tails, and much faster than before erupted from Tiamat's own mouth and soared for Bahamut. These ones actually whined like birds and spiraled around each other as they came in. They moved much faster than before. The esper gaped at them. Very quickly, he tried adjusting a bit in the air. Immediately his worst fears were confirmed. The balls changed direction and moved after him. They wouldn't fall for the same decoy trap as Bahamut's own attack had fallen. He knew that if he had enough time he could have perfected them to seek their target, but he hadn't. These ones were perfected, and headed straight for him. He had to think fast, for he had even less time to save himself than Tiamat had.

Tiamat finished and grinned wickedly at Bahamut, waiting to see how he would deal with the new challenge. Bahamut, on his part, continued to watch the deadly Pyron sail straight for him.But then, at last, he reacted. Within a split second, he summoned another Pyrin attack into his mouth. This time he didn't try to brace himself, but rather aimed his head straight for the ground and fired it off. The heavy recoil sent his body flying up into the air just in time, and a fraction of a second later the first Pyron ball connected with his own Pyrin. Bahamut's body barely cleared the others as they rushed into the Pyrin attack much faster than any of Bahamut's previous moves. Once they had all reached it, something that took much shorter than with Bahamut's, the Pyron immediately exploded. Bahamut barely had enough time to shield himself and raise higher than the attack before the waves of heat, impacts from the explosions, and the cast off balls of fire struck him. Numerous minor explosions hit the esper, and the power and energy rocked him violently as he struggled to rise above it. Bahamut still felt small bits of burning heat and pain as it struck him and he struggled to rise higher.

After a few moments more, Bahamut stopped ascending, and he felt the last bits of the attack die off. The echo was much higher this time, and the sky was even clearer than before. Slowly, the esper unfurled his wings again and opened his eyes. For a moment, he saw the empty sky below him, and watched a few wisps of energy fade off into nothingness. It looked as if the place had cleared...

But then, the esper's head was violently thrown forward as a powerful, double-fisted blow smashed into the back of his head, sending him flying straight toward the ground. Bahamut's vision went black and his senses were sent in a whirlwind from the power. Red blood flew out of his nose and trailed backward through the air. Yet somehow, in the course of all that, Bahamut's semi-conscious senses realized what had happened. Another intelligent move on Tiamat's part. Bahamut had managed to dodge the Pyron, so he used it as a diversion instead to shoot right on top of him and smash him down to the ground.

Bahamut fell quickly, shooting like a stone to the earth. Within no time at all he was nearly upon it. He struggled to get his senses back together, but he couldn't shake it off so easily. He looked mostly like a boned fish when he finally hit the ground, smashing into it headfirst and quickly sinking into it the rest of the way. The ground cracked and swelled around him from impact, and dust and clods of dirt flew up around him as he touched down.

Yet somehow, the esper sprung back to life almost instantly. Now face down on the ground, Bahamut quickly tucked his legs and arms underneath him and sprung them out, launching him backward and away from the crater he had made like a cricket hopping from an incoming frog. It was good too, for Tiamat touched down a moment later, one foot extended and the heel pointed out, intending to jab his blow right in the back of Bahamut's neck. Instead, he merely caused another small quake as he landed, sending more dirt and debris flying everywhere and sinking in his foot to the ankle as he plunged it down. Tiamat, his face normal again, raised another eyebrow, and then quickly pulled out of the ground and planted his feet on it. He looked ahead to Bahamut, who was now breathing a little, but still staring back at him cold and hard.

"Fascinating." Tiamat remarked calmly. "Truly fascinating. You not only managed to dodge my attack, but you recovered almost instantly from one of my strongest blows. I wasn't even holding back on that last strike…" The Fiend hesitated, but then grinned darkly. "…not much, at any rate."

Bahamut said nothing, but continued to pant.

Tiamat cracked his long neck with a satisfied look. "I guess I can vent my full strength on you after all, without worries that you'll only be able to last a few moments. No, you'll be quite entertaining. Yet even now I can see you already starting to slip. Do try to give me a good five more minutes, please. I'd like this fun little spar burned in my mind for a good, long time."

* * *

The other espers could hear the sickening sounds of bones snapping and grinding as Kraken unleashed his malice on Wyvern. He wasn't satisfied enough with beating him to death. He was crushing him with his tentacles at the same time as he smashed him against the ground and slapped at him with his appendages. It seemed his tentacles had hooks or sharp scales of some sort with them, and he hooked and tore at Wyvern's own skin as he continued to beat him.

The others didn't know what to do. Phoenix was the only one up and able at the moment, and her attack was useless. Struggling and straining, Odin managed to pull his sizzling body to his feet. But Zantetsuken was lost somewhere among the mess, and even if he had it he would barely lift it. Leviathan and Ogopogo still looked mostly useless, and Starlet was still on her back. However, even now, Odin noticed that Wyvern was still conscious through the beating. He was able to keep his eyes open as blood dribbled from his nose and mouth.

Kraken sneered his cut lip and wrapped his tentacles around Wyvern's neck, then yanked him up to stare at him right in the face. Wyvern could do nothing but hang there.

"Why don't you just give up?" He mocked. "Surrender, and maybe I'll just rip yer head off slowly, and not eat you from the toes up."

Wyvern weakly looked back for a moment to the Water Fiend. He grunted and strained, seeming unable to move and choking for air. As he did, the other espers decided they had to make a move, and began to do whatever they could to mount an assault on Kraken. At last,Wyvern breathed in deeply, and spat right in one of Kraken's black eyes. The creature hissed and recoiled a moment, while Wyvern grinned weakly.

"I was saving my last breath…just for that…"

Kraken sneered and began to open his eye again. He tightened his tentacle grip, completely cutting off Wyvern's air. "You little…"

"Pyrimshad!"

Again, in a desperate move to save her brother, Phoenix projected her flame against Kraken. The flame bird hit him in the back, and he noticed it. He raised his eyes and sneered at Phoenix. The bird didn't bother trying to stand her ground, but struggled to stay alive by circling around Kraken's head. She summoned another flaming bird and fired it on Kraken, but it too was just as ineffective, and just annoyed him. Apparently, by now, she had learned her attack well enough to avoid it tiring her out.Meanwhile, Odin took the opportunity to summon strength he didn't know he had and charge at the beast.

Kraken merely grinned wickedly after a moment, and with a snap of his tentacles hurled Wyvern's nearly-dead body at Phoenix. The aim was true, and the firebird only had time to cry out for a moment before he collided with her with a sickening crash, and both of them fell to the ground. Not wasting any time, Kraken quickly used two of his tentacles to scoop up a good sized rock from the ground, then shot out two more tentacles to seize the charging Odin. After grabbing both, he quickly yanked both quickly to himself, only he aimed the rock straight for Odin's head. The esper barely had time to react before the rock smashed itself and shattered on his skull. Odin grunted in pain, and went limp again. If not for his helmet, the blow would have killed him.

Kraken chortled and hoisted Odin up in Wyvern's own position. "Ugly little human lover…" He sneered. "Tryin' ta' be the hero again? Feh. You look just like one of those humans. No wonder yer so weak."

Odin grunted and strained under Kraken's power, but couldn't even raise his arms to loosen the grip around his neck. He was dazzled and his head was swimming. However, both he and Kraken heard a slight scuffle. The Water Fiend turned his head to the noise, and soon found himself looking at Starlet. The esper seemed to have found Zantetsuken lying on the ground, and was now struggling to drag herself over to get the weapon. She was still a long way off, however, and it wasn't readily apparent what she could do with it when she got it. Odin paled at the sight. She was totally helpless, and didn't even seem to notice that Kraken noticed her.

The creature grinned wickedly, and turned his head back to the helpless Odin. "Just for that pale little stunt of bravery, I'm gonna let you hang limp like a dead squirrel again and watch as I kill someone else you love."

Odin paled. His brain filled with fear. He didn't want to see this again. Though he would never show it in battle, Palad's death had effected him greatly. No matter what, he didn't want to see this slimy horror so arrogantly destroy another innocent life, especially not his sisters. He manged to raise his arms to struggle against Kraken's tentacle, but it was a useless effort. Kraken laughed and mocked him as he turned his head back to Starlet. She had stopped going for the sword now, and turned to stare in terror at the beast behind her. She became frozen with fear, and couldn't move an inch as Kraken opened his mouth wide again and bellowed, "Aqua-ject!"

Another water blade erupted from Kraken's mouth, and this time sailed straight for Starlet. Odin looked around at the area, but no one was up. Phoenix and Wyvern were both down, and the firebird was just barely able to start rising. No one was there to save Starlet. Above, Bahamut was still fighting Tiamat. He didn't even know what was happening. No one could help her. He would just have to do nothing and watch another person die…

However, there was one still active.

"Contra-cycle!"

Starlet turned her head to the sound, and was just in time to see Leviathan shooting toward her. He was using the move again, but not for attack. Instead, he quickly winded his coils around Starlet's body as fast as he could, from the soles of her feet all the way to the top of her head. Before either Kraken or Starlet could understand what had happened, she was completely enclosed in Leviathan's body. The esper then struggled to shift his body, to move or avoid the incoming attack. But it was almost useless. The Aqua-ject came in, and sliced into his body. Though a fatal hit was avoided, the slash still sank good into his coils and traveled vertically up his entire body. The serpent cried out in agony as his dark blood flew everywhere, but still he stayed in position. The Aqua-ject passed at last, and again he was free. The serpent panted hard and his coils became dead weight on top of Starlet. But he had saved her. If he hadn't intervened, the attack would have sliced Starlet in half.

Odin was relieved, but neither he nor anyone else could see what was going on at Leviathan's body. Starlet, recovered and realizing what Leviathan just did, struggled to push herself up from the bundle of his tentacles. In the end, she only managed to poke her head out a bit, and look down to see Leviathan resting his own exhausted, pained head against her chest.

"Leviathan…" She echoed, her face tight with shock. She never in a hundred years expected Leviathan to do such a thing for her. She never thought he had that much devotion, though they were brother and sister. "Oh…Leviathan…" She remarked again, now looking down at his body and realizing the price the esper had paid. "You're hurt…"

"I had to…" The esper panted, looking out of breath and struggling to maintain his own pain level. "Would have…killed you…"

"But…but you could have been killed…"

Leviathan paused a moment, but then managed to weakly open his eyes. He looked up to Starlet, and she noticed that there was a longingness in his vision. She didn't know what he was going to say, although at that moment he looked like he desperately wanted to say something. It seemed like his voice was caught, that he was either too nervous or in too much pain to speak. But at the end, it didn't matter. Kraken's voice cut them off.

"Oh please…the only thing you idiots are good for is getting yourselves beaten to a pulp to buy your little friends a few more seconds of lifetime!" He snarled. "I've had it with all of you! You all got nothing on me, so I'll just wipe you and this entire landscape clean with my biggest attack!"

The other espers turned back to the fiend at this. Most of them were in too much pain or agony to look fearful, but those that could did. Kraken grinned at them, and looked like he was more than ready to summon another large attack. He turned back to Odin and grinning widely at him, exhaling his foul breath in his face. Yet even as he did so, an air of disappointment seemed to be mounting in him. Something about his pride made it look as if he didn't really care to use a giant attack to blow them all away. It seemed like a waste. Gradually, he smile turned into a frown, and he scowled at Odin instead, then, after doing so, he turned his eyes skyward.

There had been a few great explosions earlier, but now Tiamat and Bahamut were duking it out. At the moment, it was still too hard to see who had the advantage. They seemed to be matching each other blow for blow, and from this far down one couldn't tell who was doing better in terms of body damage. Neither was slowing. Immediately, the animosity and savagry returned to Kraken's gaze. Up above was his true hate and target…the new esper arrival. He too wanted to exhaust his full power. He too wanted to feel himself at maximum. And the little bugs he was busying himself with were hardly a challenge worthy of his full power. No…he wanted what was above.

In the end, he snorted, looked back down to Odin, and cast his limp body to the ground. "Lay here and rot for a few more minutes with your siblings." He ordered. "I'm gonna have a little fun…"

* * *

Tiamat shot at Bahamut like a missile, foot extended and aiming right for his face. His blow connected, and the esper went flying backward from the force. However, after only a moment, Bahamut spun back around, using the momentum of the blow, did a mid-air somersault, faced Tiamat again, and then shot forward himself to smash his crowned forehead into Tiamat's. The Fiend recoiled, but only a few feet before shooting back and clipping Bahamut in the face with a right hook. After snapping Bahamut's head one way from the hit, he quickly swiped his other claw out and smashed that into his face too. Then, to finish off the esper, he brought his fists over his head to smash down on Bahamut.

But he wasn't done either. He recovered quickly too, and left himself wide open for Bahamut to punch him in the throat. Immediately, Tiamat slackened and gagged, and Bahamut followed up by pounding him hard in the solar plexus. To finish off his own chain, Bahamut flipped himself again in mid-air, this time sweeping his feet upward to give Tiamat a double-kick under the head, and send him flying. Tiamat looked limp for a moment, and actually sailed back a good distance from Bahamut for a few moments, giving the esper time to right himself and pant once. But then, Tiamat came back to life and quickly hurled twin bolts of lightning at the esper. Bahamut's eyes enlarged, and he quickly dodged one, but the other struck him in the wing. He yelled out in pain, but somehow managed to stay afloat. What more, as he screamed out in agony, he used the opportunity to scream out another Pyrin attack, and soon a ball of burning fire was headed straight for the Fiend of Air. Tiamat saw it coming, and forced himself to right his body in mid-air, form another double fist, and then bat the Pyrin away at the last minute. As he did, a numbing pain shot into his hands and arms, but he was successful.

After this, both esper and Fiend paused. They were a distance from each other now, and staring at each other hard. Both were totally silent except for breathing and wing flapping. Bahamut's look was cold and unchanged. Tiamat, on his part, still smiled at him wickedly…

But both Bahamut and Tiamat knew better by now.

Tiamat was breathing hard. Bahamut's punch to his abdomen had knocked the wind out of him, and now he felt embarrassed to actually be struggling to catch his breath in this fight. His own brow was sweaty now, and his muscles began to feel strain. His mouth was still bleeding a little, and he spat out another wad of blood. One of his eyes was puffy and squinted. His hands and arms burned from Bahamut's last Pyrin. Though it was still too weak to have any chance of beating Tiamat, Bahamut still was strong enough to put sufficient power into it that it was causing Tiamat some pain.

That said, Bahamut looked even worse. He was beginning to struggle to keep up. His moves, while still executed intelligently, had grown less smooth than when they started. He looked sore and as if he had bones broken in numerous places. Cuts and bruises dotted his whole body. He was heaving a lot more than Tiamat was. To the Air Fiend, the inevitable conclusion of the battle was still a certainty.

However, Tiamat's amusement was quickly becoming forced. It was one thing to have an opponent who brought you to the maximum of your abilities. It was quite another to be getting a beating while engaging said opponent and to feel pain. True, Tiamat had never encountered one who could make him use his full strength before, but he had also never met one that had put him in so much pain before. The sensation was all but foreign to him, but Bahamut was quickly reacquainting him with the sensation. And the longer the battle dragged on, the more Tiamat realized he didn't like that feeling all that much. The temptation was beginning to enter into his mind to just finish the battle right off. But Tiamat realized that that wasn't a possibility either. Bahamut would be expecting his next Pyron, and to charge up enough power to kill the esper would take time.

_How did this esper get so powerful, anyway?_ He thought inside. After a moment, he decided he might as well verbalize it. "Where did you get your power, esper?"

Bahamut stared coldly back for a moment, and it wasn't readily apparent he would answer. But answer he did after a time. "…Same as you. I was born with it. It's innate to all espers."

Tiamat grinned and sneered at that. "Ridiculous. All your 'innate' power served to do for your puny little relatives is let their bones break instead of shatter under our power."

Bahamut stared back silently for a moment. "You asked me. I told you the truth. Even now, I'm harboring something bigger than anything either of us has put out ye-URK!"

Mixed within Bahamut's statement, Tiamat vaguely heard Kraken's familiar voice yell, "Contra-cycle!" Now, Kraken's tentacles lashed about Bahamut's entire body. They quickly wound themselves tight and strong around all of his appendages. Three put his arms to his sides. Two locked his legs together. One held his tail down. The last wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air and speech. Bahamut's stern face had turned to one of panic and shock, and soon he began to struggle against Kraken hard. The Water Fiend had evidently leapt into the sky and seized Bahamut, and now all the esper could do was struggle to stay in one place, holding his weight and Kraken's. The Water Fiend chuckled and placed his head on Bahamut's shoulder, just so he could see him.

"Miss me, trash?" He sneered at the esper. He seemed rather full of himself at the moment, glad to have the upper hand on another esper. Bahamut, of couse, couldn't answer. He was too busy struggling to breathe. In the end, Kraken turned his hideous face over to Tiamat. "Finish him right now, Tiamat! One shot from yer Pyron attack will be all it takes!"

Tiamat didn't answer right away, and didn't even alter his behavior. He continued to flap in the sky and stare at the latest situation. Bahamut struggled and strained against Kraken, but the Water Fiend held him fast. He wouldn't be able to break free. For a long while, there was silence between all of them. Kraken looked expectantly at Tiamat, thinking he would end the battle at any moment with one blast. In the end, however, Tiamat snorted instead.

"I told you before, Kraken." He spoke solemnly. "I wanted this fight to be between me and him, so that I'd be able to see my power at its fullest. Now you had to go and snag him. There won't be any challenge to straight-out obliterating him right here. And it's not like I needed your help to destroy him in the first place."

Kraken's enthusiasm diminished a bit at that, looking a bit lower and dejected. Bahamut continued to strain. Somehow, he was able to breathe around Kraken's grip, but he couldn't free himself from him. Tiamat did nothing for a few moments longer. But in the end, he smiled wickedly.

"Oh well…I'll live with it."

With that, Tiamat outstretched his wings, and began to summon his Pyron anew.

* * *

Leviathan wasn't sure how it happened.

Perhaps it was the sudden push inside him. Never before had he tried so hard to defend his family, and maybe the emotional connection put it out. Perhaps it was the agony within him mixing with his anger that awakened it. Perhaps he was borderline the entire time and the loss of blood put his brain on a different wavelength, so to speak. Or perhaps this was waiting for him along with his developing mental status. But for whatever the reason…it had happened. Something had awakened inside him, and he now knew something that he hadn't known before.

_Bahamut was right…_ He thought to himself. _This…this is amazing…_

Leviathan redoubled his efforts to bring himself fully to consciousness. He was hurt bad, and he didn't know how much good he was for. But he had to do something. Slowly, he managed to reopen his eyes. His vision, of course, was swimming, and he felt dizzy all over. His head pounded with the sudden onrush of stimuli. But after a few moments of being unable to focus or process anything, he became clear enough to begin to see his position.

He was still laying in a heap on top of Starlet. He was surprised he hadn't smothered her. He had dreamed that he heard her fair voice calling him…but she wasn't paying attention to him now. Instead, her look was turned to the sky, looking scared and nervous. Leviathan gasped and breathed hard for a few moments more, but then closed his eyes again. Focusing all he could, he retracted his Contra-cycle. His body thickened and began to slim down again as he shrunk back into his shorter length.

This attracted Starlet's attention. She looked back down to him, and seemed relieved. After a few moments, Leviathan was back to his old length, but still partially looped around Starlet. Both he and her immediately got to work unwinding him the rest of the way. As he did, he felt a bit stronger. He had been cut bad, but now that he was back to his older form, he had more volume to his body length, and the cuts no longer went as deep. He felt stronger already, and began to move a bit more.

"Leviathan, are you alright?" Starlet immediately asked.

"I'm…doing a bit better." He admitted. As he said this, he became aware that the air seemed hotter and charged. What more, he heard rushing wind, and it seemed to be growing darker around him. He noticed this as he managed to pull the last of his coils off Starlet, and then turned back to her. "What's going on?"

Starlet's face immediately turned fearful once more. She pointed up to the sky. "Look!"

Leviathan did so, and saw a fearsome sight. The monster Kraken had seized Bahamut in his coils, and the esper wasn't able to escape. Leviathan knew he wouldn't be able to. When the esper did Contra-cycle, he locked his spine in place and a ratchet effect seemed to also go into effect. His own coils were nearly unbreakable, so Kraken's definitely were too. But that wasn't the worst of it. Tiamat was charging up some powerful attack. It looked like a Pyrin, but was much larger. He could see the fire and power building in his mouth. Fear sank into Leviathan's stomach. This was very bad.

"We have to do something!" Starlet spoke up. "He'll kill him!"

"Worse than that." Leviathan added, his gaze not shifting from the scene and sounding dark. "If Bahamut falls, nothing will be left to stop Tiamat and Kraken. Bahamut's never going to be able to break out of those coils."

"What can we do?" Starlet desperately cried.

Leviathan didn't know why, but he felt a twinge of pain more at Starlet in distress than anyone else yet. What more, he wasn't exactly sure why he had risked his own life to save Starlet, but he felt a strong attachment to her, more so than anyone else… At any rate, that wasn't the issue. He knew how to get Kraken off of Bahamut. Anything that could distract him would break the concentration he needed to hold Bahamut down. Then the esper could escape. Yet as he looked down and surveyed the battlefield, they were in short supply of heroes at the moment. Wyvern and Odin were down for the count. Phoenix was getting up pretty quickly, but her attack would be useless against Kraken. Starlet seemed recovered enough to rise now, but she could do nothing from the ground. And then there was Ogopogo, who was coiled into a ball and cringing in terror at the moment. He couldn't help anyone unless directed by Leviathan. At once, the sea esper realized that left one person…himself.

And only moments ago, he had luckily gotten just what he needed.

"I'm going to try something…"

Starlet turned to him and looked at him in puzzlement, but already Leviathan paid no more attention to her. He had to focus hard on this. He had just attained this ability, and hadn't had time to practice or harness his control of it. He wasn't sure if he could aim it right. If he aimed it wrong, it would seriously hurt Bahamut…if not kill him. Or it could miss altogether and hit nothing. It was a risk to take, and what more, at the rate Tiamat was building, it looked like he wouldn't get another chance at this. He had to make the first shot count.

_Well…here goes nothing._

_This is for Palad, you monster._

Leviathan opened his mouth wide, leaving plenty of room for his attack to come. Then, he quickly focused on his newly acquired words. Silently he said them to himself. In reply, his body began to summon forth a power within it as well. Only this was water, bubbling and large within him. Where was it coming from? Perhaps it was in him from earlier. Perhaps it was condensing from the sky. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that it answered and came. And now, Leviathan struggled to aim his head right for a vital spot on Kraken… The tentacle around Bahamut's neck. It was perfect. He just had better not miss…and hit Bahamut instead. He finished the words within him, feeling the water beginning to rush over his mouth. Then, at last, he sounded it out in his screeching cry.

"Aqua-ject!"

Everyone on the ground had their attention drawn to this. They knew who had spoken, but they didn't believe it. Aqua-ject was Kraken's attack. But Leviathan had realized they were wrong. Once Tiamat began to use Bahamut's own moves against him, Leviathan began to realize their own powers were not unique. And now, that knowledge was clear in his mind, as he had learned his first true attack. To the shock and surprise of all, a deal of water erupted from Leviathan's mouth and into the sky.

* * *

Kraken looked down below, seeming to hear the attack too. He didn't look too worried though. Obviously, he thought no one could match his attack. That confidence soon turned to terror, however. The mass of water was headed straight for him, and just like his own attack it condensed and flattened, forming a blade-like shape. Kraken didn't move for some reason. Perhaps he was still stunned and in disbelief, but he continued to watch as it drew closer. By the time he did appear ready to move, the attack was on him. It didn't head for his face, but instead went right in front of it, toward the connection made by his tentacle to Bahamut's neck. Leviathan's aim had been true. However, not taking any chances, Bahamut stretched his head even further forward, getting out of the way and putting Kraken's tentacle in prime position.

The Aqua-ject connected. True to its form, it sank right into Kraken's slimy flesh. However, this attack was long enough to go the entire length of Kraken's extended tentacle. It went totally through it, from top to bottom. A moment later, the blade of water shot by, and Kraken's severed tentacle ripped free and began to splurt horrible purple blood everywhere.

The black beady eyes of the monstrosity shrank even smaller as he felt his first real pain ever. His massive mouth opened gigantically as he bellowed a scream of agony.

But at that moment, Tiamat was ready, and snapped his own head back as a Pyron larger than any yet erupted from his mouth.

What happened in the next moment was a blur, something that each individual esper had a hard time keeping track of. His head now free and extended forward, Bahamut quickly swung his head back and smashed his rear crown into Kraken's face as hard as possible. The blow added even more stunning pain to Kraken's original injury, and the beast loosened his tentacles. At the same time, deadly red balls of light began to shoot from Tiamat's mouth and head straight for Bahamut. But the tentacles were loose, and Bahamut swung his body down. The red balls connected, and soon a great red mass formed in the sky just as before, as a body took in the red light and power. More balls shot forward and joined it, making the mass of red light brighter and stronger than ever before. It grew blinding, illuminating a ten-mile radius area with bright light for miles around. The espers below were forced to recoil and shield their eyes. It was good too, for the light suddenly doubled in brightness as the mass went off, and a series of violent explosions ripped through the air. All of the espers present felt hot air beating down on them from the attack, burning and bright. The plants on the ground whipped violently, and the force pushed the espers below even lower. A thunderous roar bellowed in the sky.

At long last, the espers began to open their eyes again. Though it calmed down earlier, it was not until Odin began to feel a light substance land on him that he opened his eyes. When he did, he looked up to the sky and saw the situation. The others began to gradually follow suit as well. What they saw was Tiamat, looking shocked at what he had done…dumbfounded even. They also saw the source of the light substance. It was ash, slowly falling down from the sky, along with a single severed tentacle…

…All that was left of Kraken.

Bahamut was panting and nervous looking, but he was alive and back in the air. He had broke totally free with seconds to spare. The blast had hit the Water Fiend, and annihilated him. Kraken was wiped out, and now only one of the Four Fiends remained.

Bahamut didn't praise himself or gloat immediately. Instead, he looked to the ground, and his gaze quickly fixed on Leviathan. The esper was more preoccupied with the ash at this point, but Bahamut's talking quickly attracted him.

"Leviathan…you did it." He uttered, his voice sounding full of praise and amazement. "You did what took Wyvern and me a potion to perform. You've started unlocking your power all by yourself, and in only a fraction of the time it took me!"

Leviathan turned his gaze to Bahamut, and blinked in a bit of disbelief. That was all he was concerned about? That he had managed an Aqua-ject after that whole event? However, at the same time…a new chord was struck in Leviathan. Bahamut had never praised him before. No one had. The truth was, he was as timid as Ogopogo in many ways. The only difference was he had decided to take a chance today at a few acts of heroism where Ogopogo had not. They were really the same esper in all other respects. But that changed that day…that very minute. Leviathan was appreciated and acknowledged by his brother, his old enemy, for his risk. And today he began to feel the connection he shared with him and the other espers. He felt motivated to improve himself. From then on, Leviathan was never quite the same esper again, and he never had quite the same old relationship with Bahamut again…

But everyone's thoughts were cut short as an angry voice seethed.

"You…"

Bahamut turned his head to the voice, just in time to have his head ripped down at an angle by a vicious hook across his face. Tiamat had gotten up to him in record time, and had slugged him hard. Tiamat's amusement was gone. His anger had replaced it.

Not letting up a second, Tiamat quickly ducked and dug into Bahamut's stomach. He punched him three times hard there, moving quickly and listening hard for the sound of Bahamut's bones breaking. When he failed to hear it after the three blows, he snarled and flipped in the air like Bahamut, extending his tail and smashing it into Bahamut's head hard. The blow ripped Bahamut out of the sky and sent him flying through the air.

Bahamut sailed a few moments before righting himself, as he always did. But no sooner had he done so than Tiamat, savage as ever, shot up to him and smashed his own crested forehead into Bahamut's face. Blood splurted from the sight as the esper was knocked back again even harder than before. Tiamat again took off, fueled by rage and anger. He flew behind the sailing Bahamut, and waited for him. As the esper's limp body shot by, he smashed both of his fists into the small of his back, and sent Bahamut sailing for the ground. The esper was bent in a horrible curved shape this time, and looked too stunned and agonized to correct himself. Tiamat relented at last himself, and hovered in the air and waited for Bahamut to react.

Much to his anger, the esper somehow managed to recover. He moved sloppier and more slowly this time, but he managed to flip himself forward as he reached the ground. He quickly spread out all fours and landed hard on the ground. The impact was still huge, and pieces of debris and a crater formed from the force of his impact. Dust flew up and pebbles rained down. An echo came from the landing. But still Bahamut caught himself, and froze perfectly on the ground in his stopped position.

After a moment, the esper slowly raised himself from the ground. It was very slow this time. He looked weary and in pain, and he was somewhat hunched over as he stood up. Once he did stand, he panted from loss of air, and weakly extended an arm to wipe away as his bloody lip. He kept his gaze focused on Tiamat overhead, but was starting to look like he was no longer a match for him. Tiamat was staying up no problem. And now anger was at last coming out. However, he controled himself somewhat, and managed to speak relatively calmly again.

"I didn't really care whether or not Kraken died, although I will say that I'm a bit more infuriated that garbage like you managed to give him so much trouble. But that you would dare to humiliate me by tricking me into hitting him instead is unexcusable. You will die horribly for what you have done. You're already starting to slip. You will be dead within the next two minutes at most." At this, Tiamat managed a small smile again. But after doing so, he turned his head slightly to Leviathan, looking still up in wonder at the sight. "And unless you want to be first, worm, I wouldn't suggest trying that attack again. Don't think you can beat me with that simple Aqua-ject. Kraken's held a lot more power, and still I was invulnerable to it."

Bahamut continued to pant and breathe hard. The other espers stood in stunned silence. They began to see the truth as well. Bahamut was slipping. His power was beginning to fade, and Tiamat was gaining the upper hand. He would be dead before long. Tiamat sneered at him. "Now while nothing that lives, other than Griever, can match or defeat my own Pyron attack, and though I would love to see you burn and explode as Kraken did, I know you at least have enough stamina left in you to dodge it in the time it takes me to charge the attack. So I'll just have to beat you to death."

Silence reigned on the battlefield. Bahamut panted and heaved a bit longer. Everyone waited anxiously, waiting for him to do something, waiting for anything to happen and hoping for some chance to still exist. In the end, however, they were most surprised to see not Tiamat, but Bahamut smile at the Fiend instead.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." He answered after drawing in his breath and wiping blood off his mouth. "But I could easily outclass your Pyron attack."

Both the espers and Tiamat were stunned at this boast. The espers blinked in disbelief at Bahamut, wondering if that was true. But as for thewind Fiend, he stared for a few moments at the esper, but then merely burst out into a wider grin and began to laugh. His laugh was dark and strong, and fully confident.He crossed his arms, kicked his head back, and laughed even louder after a few moments, appearing to be genuinely amused by the whole notion. His voice was dark and cold, and it rang through the air.

"Well…it seems as if one of my blows did some lasting damage to that brain of yours." He snickered. "Strong as you are, I'm still far superior to any esper. I am the Lord of the Four Fiends. None can outclass me. And while I did intercept your own Pyron earlier, and while it certainly would have hurt a bit if I let it hit me, don't delude yourself into thinking that it was nearly enough to destroy me. My own Pyron would cut through yours and still have enough power to obliterate you."

Bahamut was unchanged.

"I'm not talking about the Pyron."

Now, all of the espers looked puzzled, and Tiamat's smile faded as he raised an eyebrow.

"I've been unlocking my power for six months now." Bahamut went on. "I realized the limitations of the Pyrin in the first month, and went on to the Pyron. I then tried to develop it as much as I could. But then I remembered what I heard from Jadea about the Omniapex level. I figured that the Pyron couldn't be my limit. So I stopped working on perfecting it. That is the reason why it's so far behind yours. But two weeks ago, I managed to discover a new move. Since then I've been trying to master it as much as possible. It was a lot harder to pull off. It wasn't until a little while ago I finally felt confident enough in my control of it to risk coming out and using it. That's why I didn't come out with my brother and family earlier."

The espers stared at Bahamut, wondering if he was telling the truth about this. Odin was shocked himself. He was already overwhelmed at how much stronger than him Bahamut had become. How was that even possible? He was the warrior esper! As for Wyvern, he too was surprised at how much Bahamut had increased. How could that be? He had been working out for months while Bahamut did nothing, and he was still so much better. In the end, however, Tiamat smirked.

"Tell me…why haven't you decided to use this little move until now? Could it be because this little move is a little bluff?"

"No." Bahamut answered, not sounding the least bit insulted. "I told you I barely had a grasp on it. It's hard to pull off too. It requires a lot of time to focus and charge. A full minute at the very least. I didn't think you'd decide to give me the time to prepare it, and then just stand there as I used it."

Tiamat snorted a laugh. "Really?" He asked with a grin. The Fiend of Wind hovered in the sky a moment longer. No one moved a muscle for a short while. No one did anything but listen and wait to see Tiamat's reaction. At long last, the Fiend shrugged. "Very well. Have it your way." With that, the Wind Fiend dropped to the ground like a stone, and touched down on it lightly. Once he did, he planted his feet and folded his wings down. His arms crossed again, and he leaned his head back confidently.

"Hit me."

Bahamut raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Go on and hit me with your little attack." Tiamat simply responded. "I'll let you have a free one this time."

The other espers blinked in confusion at this sudden change of heart. As for Bahamut, however, he actually seemed to grow a bit concerned. "I really wouldn't." He warned the Fiend of Wind. "Not if I were you."

Tiamat's mouth burst open wide and he laughed deep and hard, mocking Bahamut all the while. "You flatter yourself. So did your foolish brothers. Both of them made similar, unfounded, idiotic claims about their own power, and they failed to even give me a rash with their moves. Before beating them into the ground, I shattered their idiotic notions by proving their abilities useless. Before you die, I want you to understand once and for all that your kind will always be weaker. Now will you take this opportunity or not?"

Bahamut paused for a few moments more. The espers stood and waited. They wondered which one of them was right, Bahamut or Tiamat. True enough, their earlier moves had done absolutely nothing to the Fiend of Wind. It was hard to imagine any attack able to. And Bahamut didn't seem to be too at ease about having Tiamat just stand there and take the attack. But in the end, the esper shrugged. "Have it your way. You can't say I didn't warn you."

"Do it." Tiamat snapped. "I grow bored."

Bahamut didn't say anything else. Instead, he extended his tail back and planted iton the ground. He planted both of his feet and dug them in. He tucked his wings into his sides, and then lowered his head.He took a few deep breaths, and then went quiet. After that, he closed his eyes and moved no more. The others stared at him blankly for a moment. Tiamat grinned and waited confidently. Only Leviathan, who had also mastered the ability of telepathy to a small degree, realized what Bahamut was doing. He was summoning an overwhelming amount of power right now, and chanting hard in his head.

The buildup of the attack wasn't as strong as with the others. The others had an overt move. But not so here. The first the espers noticed was Starlet's hair beginning to rise up on end. She looked at it in puzzlement, but the reason was the sheer power building in the air. It was growing charged again, far more charged than anything yet. The sky slowly began to turn dark again. Still Tiamat didn't worry, for he could do the same. Bahamut kept his head lowered, and as he did, small particles of dust seemed to fly into the air at his feet. After focusing a bit more, a creaking and cracking sound began to be heard from beneath the ground. Tiamat and the espers alike raised an eyebrow to this and looked it. Suddenly, the earth heaved a bit as cracks materialized under Bahamut's feet. The power he was gathering cracked the ground, and his claws sank in.

The air began to sizzle and hiss, and the sky grew darker and darker yet. Tiamat looked up to the sky, his smile fading a little, and watched as it turned even darker than it had for his own attack. He looked back down to Bahamut, and saw orbs of light begin to sink toward him again, coming into his mouth. But he kept his head lowered, and did not react to them. His wings slowly began to extend, and the air grew more charged yet. Sparks shot out from around Bahamut, little ones, and the sky overhead began to grumble. The air continued to snap and sizzle, and grew more and more loud as it did so. The ground heaved again, and Bahamut's whole bodydropped a little into it. He began to strain and tighten, and heat began to gather around his entire form. Tiamat's smile vanished all together now, and his arms began to uncross as he stared at Bahamut in surprise.

"What…are you doing…?"

But the power only continued to grow. A powerful crack of near thunder went through the sky. Electricity continued to gather around Bahamut, and the ground began to quake underneath everyone's feet. The sky began to wave, and Tiamat and the espers felt a breeze blow by hard of blistering hot air. But the air grew fiercer and warmer as time went on. The grass began to wither and die around Bahamut. His wings continued to unfurl, and now his head began to rise. Leviathan, the best at gauging strength out of them all, began to stare at Bahamut with a mixture of shock and fear. He had not fathomed that he would ever have been able to get this much power. He couldn't even think of _anything_ having this much power. But rather than peak, it continued to rise even higher yet. It grew and grew, and the effect on the world grewas it did so. A light seemed to form around Bahamut that glowed more brightly as the heat built, which was good because the sky was beginning to go from dark to black. Tiamat also recognized Bahamut's power, which only continued to build. He stared at him in growing shock. His jaw began to drop. Then, quite suddenly, the Fiendsnapped and staggered back a foot.

"What…what are you?"

Yet the power kept rising. Bahamut's strength only grew more and more. A crater formed at his feet. The grass died even farther away from it, and the espers struggled to shield themselves from the hot air. The orbs continued to come to Bahamut's mouth, building his power with everyone.At long last, as he seemed to take on a definite light to his body, Bahamut finished. His wings finished extending, and his head was up. His eyes opened and he glared at Tiamat coldly. Leviathan and the espers were overwhelmed. This was incredible. Leviathan knew the others were only sensing tremendous strength, but he knew better. Bahamut's power had more than tripled as he gathered the attack. Tiamat, by comparison, was now outmatched in every way. And he knew that the Fiend ofWind knew it. Now, there was silence on the field, save for the air reacting violently to Bahamut's strength.

"I warned you." He simply stated.

Tiamat stood aghast, nearly cringing before the esper. However, he soon saw his position, and snarling he went back into his ready stance. "It's a trick!" He bellowed. "This is like your friend before! You're creating an illusion of strength to try and use my fear against me!"

"Now you're the one deluding yourself." Bahamut simply answered.

"Liar!" Tiamat snapped viciously. "You…you're power surpasses Griever's! I know that's impossible! There's not a thing in existance that can even surpass mine let alone his! You could never make anything able to defeat me! You're trying to trick me!"

Leviathan stared at Tiamat in amazement. Within a few moments, the Fiend's confidence and cockiness had vanished. He now sensed genuine fear coming from him. But it was not a familiar sensation. The monster had spent far too long believing himself invincible and unbeatable to be able to tolerate something stronger than him. It was driving him crazy.

"Your pride has made you delusional." Bahamut answered. "It will be the end of you, like it was for your friends. When I started this fight, I wanted to kill you for what you've done. And you've made it quite clear you deserve to die. I never even dreamed of something having such a low regard for life or others until I met you. But now that you've felt fear for the first time…now that you've realized that you aren't free to do what you want in this world and that others can stop you…I'm willing to see if you can learn the value of life. I'm willing to spare you. I'm sure Crusader wouldn't mind incarcerating you. And, sorry to burst your bubble of pride yet again, but she is also much stronger than you."

Odin and Wyvern both sneered at Bahamut at this. They would rather want Tiamat dead and be done with him. But they were both in a bad position to do anything about it. It was, in the end, his choice. But Tiamat wouldn't have it. A maddened look went into his eye, and Leviathan could see nothing coming from his brain but a stream of denial.

_"You are not stronger than me!"_ He roared. "Nothing is stronger than me! I am superior to you and all of your filthy race! I'll kill you right now, trash!" Immediately, Tiamat planted his own feet, spread his wings, and began to gather his own power. It was stronger than before…more frightening than ever. He too generated violent wind and heat around himself, and the ground quaked around him too. However…it was already obvious to all the espers it wasn't enough. His power was still far weaker than Bahamut's, and he effected the environment much less than him.

"Don't be a fool!" Bahamut warned. "Don't let your pride kill you! You'll never survive this! I can't pull it back!"

But Tiamat wouldn't listen. He screamed bloody murder as he continued to gather the attack. The fire blazed in his throat, and soon it was at maximum. His eyes glowed with power and his mouth foamed with rage. _"Die, weakling!" _He bellowed. _"Pyron!"_

Immediately, Tiamat's attack erupted from his mouth and barreled straight for Bahamut. It was bigger and nastier than before. The balls of light were stronger and burning more intensely than ever. Leviathan looked to Bahamut, and saw he wasn't worried in the least. Instead, he simply sighed in regret, and then opened his own mouth.

"Mega-pyrin!"

In a force so strong it snapped Bahamut's head back and looked to snap it clean off, a blast of hot, burning power erupted from Bahamut's mouth. It gleamed much more fiery and bright than ever, like it was the heart of the Planet's core itself. It was all but impossible to look at it, but the espers managed to see it, and saw that while it appeared to be a wave, it was really a cloud of powerful, burning balls, rather like the Pyron. Only they were more compact now, almost forming a solid mass as they shot forward. They were all much stronger and powerful than any of the mere Pyron shots. They left a blazing trail from Bahamut's mouth though they were out in moments. The grass smoldered beneath them and the ground was compressed by their force. They met with Tiamat's Pyron attack, and tore through it like it was nothing. EachPyron ballerupted and fizzled out in a fraction of a second, rather like Phoenix's Pyrimshad had dissipated when it hit Kraken. Within a second the Pyron was gone, and the attack ragedunimpeded toward Tiamat.

The Fiend of Wind's confidence and pride were finally shattered. As the glare from the blaze enveloped him, his wide-open eyes shrank into pupils of terror. His delusions and denials burned up as easily as his Pyron had. He felt pure, unadulterated fear for once. For a brief second, he felt the terror that all of the humans he had ever murdered felt and that he thought so little of. He knew what it was to be helpless and about to die. Defeated, his arms fell to his sides, and his wings slumped down. The Mega-pyrin connected with his body just a moment later, but already the espers could no longer see him. They merely saw him bathed in orange light for a moment as he cried out in agony, and then the sound vanished as the Mega-pyrin enveloped his voice too in its own roar.

_BOOM_

The espers recoiled and covered themselves as not only searing wind but large chunks of rock flew past them. Flaming debris fell everywhere and the ground shook violently as the Mega-pyrin erupted. In truth, a series of explosions went off within the main one, but they were so close together that they formed one gigantic explosion among them all. The sky thundered and shook. Phoenix flattened against the ground to keep herself from being blown away. The others clung down desperately. Leviathan anchored Starlet to the ground as best he could himself. Their eyes were closed, otherwise they could have been blinded from the force, as the mass of explosions made one giant fireball that erupted into the air to be seen for a hundred miles in all directions.

At long last, the ball of fire died down. The explosion quit, and slowly things returned to normal. The air returned to its old state. The quake ceased. The sky began to grow relatively light again, for it was still shrouded with clouds. The last bits of ash debris slowly fell to the ground. And again, one by one, the espers began to open their eyes. They first simply looked around, struggling to see if they were still alive. But then, they turned their gazes toward the impact where Tiamat had been.

But there was nothing there. No body parts or ash this time. A great black crater was all that was left of the Fiend of Wind. It went a few feet into the ground, and high over their heads thick gray smoke was starting to thin out from the blast. A small trench of blackened ground was dug from the site of the explosion back to the source. There, on the other side of the field, panting but standing up straight, was Bahamut. He looked weary from the move, but not exhausted. After a moment or so, he managed to raise up, stop panting, and shake his head.

"At least he'll never hurt anyone again…"

The espers stared at the field, still in shock. They almost couldn't believe it. Sense they had started the fight, they had doubted it was possible. But they had been proven wrong. They were gone. All of them were gone. They had done it.

The Four Fiends of the Elements were destroyed.

* * *

To be continued...


	14. Unlocked Potential

A few moments of silence went by, as the espers struggled to absorb what had just happened. No one was sure what to say. They had dreamed of this moment for months, but didn't think it possible. However, after that time, Bahamut finally exhaled hard, then turned his gaze to his brothers and sisters. They were in heaps on the ground, but still in the same general area where they battled Kraken last. They all looked back to him and stared. After a moment or so, however, Bahamut managed a smile to them. Then, he turned, and began to walk calmly over to them.

Odin grunted, but then managed to push himself up. He was sore all over, but he forced himself into a seated position. Starlet disengaged herself from Leviathan again, after giving him a supporting smile, and then stood. She took up Zantetsuken, turned, and brought it over to Odin. The warrior esper stared at her as she came, looking blank and a bit shocked. She smiled and offered the blade to him, and in reply he quickly snatched it from her hand. A flash of anger went over his face and he glared at her for touching it. Starlet's own smile quickly vanished, and she recoiled a bit from this. However, Odin quickly relented, and nodded to her.

"…Thank you." He managed to spit out meekly.

Starlet hesitated a moment, but then managed to smile again herself. "Don't mention it."

Wyvern panted and dragged himself over to the others, and Ogopogo finally uncoiled himself and looked around the field again. He seemed to be noticing everything for the first time, and seemed to have not seen that Bahamut had the upper hand at the end of the battle. He looked around a bit, and finally to the strong esper. "Is…is it over?" He asked trembling. "Is…are they all…dead?"

"All gone." Bahamut answered calmly in reply, finally reaching the others. As he did, he quickly crouched down and put himself down on their level, as most of them were laying back or sitting. "They're done. They said something about being able to 'make others', but I don't think that's the easiest or quickest thing to do. Otherwise Griever would have sent a hundred of them at us."

Starlet sighed in relief. "We won…we actually won. None of the humans will die now."

"_How_ we managed to win is what I want to know." Odin suddenly spoke up gruffly. This caused the espers to turn attention to him, but he merely turned and glared at Bahamut. He almost looked like he was angry for him winning. "Six months ago I could have pounded you into the ground. First Wyvern surpasses me, which was shocking enough after all the training I've been doing, but then you come and you're even stronger."

No one noticed, but Wyvern stiffened a bit at this.

"How could you do it?" He demanded. "Was Wyvern lying? Were you really working out down there?"

Bahamut cracked a smile at this, seeming amused that everyone was so interested in his new power. He didn't answer for moment, holding them in suspense. But in the end he spoke up. "Actually, I discovered something different. A theory that held true today, as you all saw…"

"Guys…wait a minute…look."

Leviathan had spoken, and now he gestured with the end of his tail toward what he saw. Quickly, the others all followed suit. Their eyes were soon resting on Phoenix, who was completely silent. The firebird was looking down at her wings, folded in front of her. Cradled gently within them was Palid's pale, limp body. Phoenix hadn't been just trying to stay on the ground. She had been trying to shield his body from being desecrated. She had been effective, and how he lay there. Immediately, the victory became bittersweet. The triumph over the Fiends was diminished. They had managed to live, but they had not saved the human they loved so much. In the end, none of them had the power to save him. Starlet turned her head away and closed her eyes, even as tears began to roll from them again. Odin forgot his jealousy and removed his helmet reverently. Wyvern exhaled in a sad way, and both Leviathan and Ogopogo bowed their heads solemnly. Bahamut stared at the boy, his own face helpless and small.

"It's all my fault." He spoke grimly. "If I hadn't been in such a rush to perfect that attack…I would have been in time to save him…"

"Don't kick yourself Bahamut…" Leviathan glumly answered. "Tiamat might have killed us all and a lot more if you hadn't perfected it."

"I should have sent him away…" Odin muttered. "I should have been strong enough to help him…"

Ogopogo, however, blinked in confusion. "Phoenix, what are you doing?"

Immediately, the others looked to her and saw the reason for the change. As they watched, they saw Phoenix, not looking sad or happy, raise Palad up gently and then set him down against her breast. After doing so, she slowly wrapped her large, fiery wings around him and held him tight. Then, her head slowly lowered and rested on his own pale head, and she closed her eyes. It looked touching for a moment, as if Phoenix was embracing him one more time before laying him down. However, on closer look, to Bahamut and Leviathan it looked almost as if the esper was laying down her own life right there. For a moment, they nearly spoke up.

But then, it happened.

Abruptly, Phoenix burst into glorious flame. The fire was not deadly and searing as before, but splendid and colorful. The flames erupted all around her, seeming to extend from her beautiful feathers. However, both she and Palad were soon consumed in the fire. It surrounded them, burningall around, shrouding them in the bright flames. They were completely enveloped, and continued to burn as the fire shone brighter and burned more splendidly.

The group was mortified. This was horrible. Odin looked around, half expecting some Fiend to pop up and announce they were responsible. Starlet's eyes burst into more tears and she cried out a defiant "No!" to the sight. Ogopogo and Leviathan were too stunned to turn away. Wyvern gaped himself. But Bahamut noticed something. Terrible as it seemed, the flames didn't seem horrible. They seemed more glorious and beautiful than any of his deadly attacks. Rather than an agent of death, this flame looked like it was the spirit of life. And this intrigued him to keep looking.

The flames continued to obscure both Phoenix and Palad for a while, but then, just as quickly as they had come, they faded out and vanished into nothing. There was no smoke and no cinders, nothing to indicate the fire had ever been there. There wasn't even any heat. And as they vanished, they saw Phoenix again. She hadn't been touched by the fire. However, she let out a long, tired breath. Then, as if her strength was gone, she fell backward and collapsed, her wings still wrapped around Palad.

Immediately, the espers went into action. Moving as fast as they could, they rushed up to the fallen Phoenix. Bahamut and Starlet were the fastest, but the others hobbled, shuffled, and dragged themselves along too. However, before ever reaching the esper, Bahamut halted. Quickly, he spread out his arms to halt the others as well. They did so, and looked to see what had made him stop.

Something stirred within Phoenix's wings. The firebird herself kept her eyes closed and breathed heavy, not seeming to notice it. But the others did. They watched and saw a small blond head poke itself out. Only this one didn't have pale, cold flesh, but his skin was warm, pink, and vivid with life. It continued to push itself out, like a chick slowly pushes its way out of its lifeless egg into the light of the living world. But out it did come, pushing its upper torso over Phoenix's chest. The others were shocked. Starlet began to cry again, only this time with overwhelmed joy.

Palad was alive.

The espers held a moment longer, but then rushed forward as one. Starlet seemed to forget all about Phoenix and ran right to Palad, seizing him and pulling him up, twirling him around in the air, and then hugging him tight and repeatedly kissing his head. The others quickly gathered around and began to clamor with confusion and happiness, seeing their beloved human alive. Bahamut went for Phoenix herself, and slowly began to raise her head off the ground to support her. She was still breathing hard, but she managed to gesture to Bahamut to show she was alive. Everyone else was overjoyed, surrounding Palad, hugging, crying, and showing expressions of great joy besides their weakness. Odin himself had to turn his back on the whole incident…too ashamed to show himself shedding any tears. But at length everyone managed to calm down and grow silent again, and all of them turned their attention to Phoenix. Palad, for his part, didn't seem to notice anything had happened, although he seemed a bit weaker and tired.

"Phoenix…" Bahamut uttered in amazement. "You…you brought Palad back to life… How?"

The firebird continued to lay exhausted for a little while. She panted hard and long, but at long last opened her eyes and seemed to catch her breath. "Sorry it's taking me so long…to answer, Bahamut…" She apologized. "To tell you the truth…I've been lying to you all. You all know how Odin was born with warrior instincts. Well…it seems I was born knowing my Omniapex the whole time."

The others immediately looked surprised at Phoenix. They all stared in shock. After a length, Starlet spoke up. "Is that how you knew the Pyrimshad?"

"Yes." Phoenix answered. "Somehow, deep down, I knew I was never meant to be much of a fighter. This confirms it. Yes, that was my Omniapex. I never had any need to use it until today. If I hold someone who died but still has a reasonably intact body in my wings, I can summon a flame of rebirth. I can willingly give up some of my own life force to bring them back to life. That's why Palad's so weak right now. If I had given him enough to be at full, I'd be nearly dead myself. He's strong though…he'll recover soon…and so will I."

Bahamut was honestly amazed, as were the others. He never imagined Phoenix might have had such power. But it was definitely useful. Despite it's restrictions, it could clearly come in helpful in a worse case scenario. This was a great surprise. From the looks of everyone else, they seemed enthusiastic too.

"Well done, Phoenix." Bahamut spoke in compliments. The firebird managed to weakly smile in response.

Palad's eyes flickered a little, as if he was just waking up. "What's going on?" He asked at last. "What are you guys talking about? Kraken had me…I felt something break…I felt-"

"Shh, Palad." Starlet immediately soothed. "It was nothing. Just a bad dream now." Neither she nor anyone else dared tell him the truth. Who knew what impact that would have on him? The boy had suffered enough from the malice of the Fiends. He needed no further worries from what had happened. For a moment, everyone was silent, and Palad exhaled and relaxed against Starlet for a bit longer.

Finally, Odin turned back to Bahamut. "Now Bahamut, as you were saying before? How did you manage to gain such power?"

"Yeah, that's right." Wyvern instantly chimed in. "I know for a fact you weren't doing anything but sitting in that cave for months on end. What did you do?"

Bahamut turned to them, and developed that knowing smile once more, that look that he had discovered something new that they didn't know about. It irritated the others, but they still all looked to him.

"Well, I was going to train like Wyvern." He began. "But then I began to think about Jadea again. I thought about you too, Odin. I realized that you had been working hard your whole life, but, no offense, you were barely able to handle Lich. Then I thought back to Jadea, how he had unlocked our minds…only now, I think of it in terms of unlocking our potential. We both had knowledge of Pyrin in our heads the whole time, but he brought it out. And when he did, our power shot up dramatically. We hadn't worked out or trained at all, yet we were much stronger.

"That's when I made a theory. Perhaps we didn't need to work out. Perhaps our bodies were already in great shape. The only thing is that our powers were locked deep within us. It's not that our bodies and minds are weak, it's that we haven't learned yet how to use everything we had. I was training in that hole, but I was training my mind. I was unlocking more powers within me."

"And now you've hit the Omniapex?" Ogopogo questioned.

Bahamut shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe."

Odin scowled immediately. He crossed his arms in anger. "Terrific." He grumbled. "All this time we've been wasting our time training. It was all for nothing."

Bahamut immediately turned to him and shook his head. "Oh no! On the contrary. Once you guys reach the same level in unlocking your powers as I do, you'll all be much stronger. I was only going for the short term goal. Unlocking my power may have quickly raised my strength, but once I'm done unlocking my powers there won't be anywhere left for me to ascend to. All of the work you guys did training will pay off. You just haven't learned how to make the most out of your stronger bodies yet either."

"You guys look hurt…" Palad suddenly remarked. He still only seemed half in and half out, but now he looked down and looked over the broken, bloody bodies surrounding him.

Wyvern managed a small grin. "Ah, we'll be ok, squirt. It'll take a few months, but our bodies will be back and good as new."

But Palad, his strength seeming to return to him, was already fighting to get out of Starlet's arms. "No, wait." He insisted. "I can help."

The others looked to him in puzzlement at this. "Palad, what are you doing?" Starlet asked.

"I need some water." The human replied. "Some so there's enough for everyone to drink it."

"What's going on, Palad?" Bahamut asked.

At last, Palad had worked himself free enough to go to the ground. He dropped a little but touched down easily enough. He landed on all fours. He seemed dizzy and it was hard to rise quickly, but he did rise again, and he reached for his belt. "Remember when we went and saw Jadea, how he called me back in? He gave me some stuff. He said it's a…a…'miracle elixir' or something. It comes in this powder. So I need some water to put it in to drink or it won't work."

The others paused a moment, but then began to look around for something. Odin himself looked around, and finally looked right down into his own helmet. He frowned for a moment, but then sighed and held it out toward Bahamut and Palad. "…Here." He grumbled. "You can put whatever water you can get in this and mix it."

Palad didn't seem to notice Odin swallowing his pride, but immediately took the helmet from him. Instantly, he fell to the ground under the weight of the piece of armor. Starlet quickly reached down and helped him pick it up. Meanwhile, both Ogopogo and Leviathan were slithering forward to them. Once they reached there, they announced the news.

"We store fresh water in our bellies." Ogopogo explained. "We can bring some out for you guys."

There were no small looks of disgust on everyone's face in response to that.

Leviathan shrugged. "How else do you think I made the Aqua-ject? It's that or nothing. I don't see any streams around for miles."

Everyone still didn't look that keen on the idea of drinking stuff that came out of the espers' stomachs. Still, they had no choice. After groaning and muttering a bit to themselves, Bahamut finally gave a reluctant nod to Starlet, and she responded by even more uneasily passing the helmet over to the two of them. Immediately, both dipped their heads down and opened their mouths. As if they had suddenly turned into natural springs, water rushed out and filled the helmet. Despite the water looking clear and not tainted with saliva, Starlet still held her hand back and tried not to let any get on her. The helmet was soon full, while Odin trembled and grimaced at the sight of his helmet being defiled, and then was passed back over to Palad.

Immediately, the boy brought up his pouch and poured a green powder mixed with bits of herbs and roots into the helmet. Then, he looked around a bit, then took up his axe and used the handle of it to stir it. The other espers peered to watch what was happening, and soon saw that the mixture was turning thick, gooey, and gross. It looked more like a thin slime rather than any sort of potable drink, and none of them had ever had anything but water. They quickly began to turn their noses one after another, but Palad kept mixing for a while, and then finally quit. He pulled his stick out, which trailed some slime after it, and then held it up to the others.

"Ok everyone. Take a big mouthful of it and drink it. But just one mouthful."

"You've got to be kidding…" Wyvern sulked.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Starlet asked, wrinkling her nose further.

Odin rolled his eyes at all of them. "Oh fine, you whining children." He reached over and seized the helmet from Palad's grasp and brought it to his mouth. "If you're all too scared, I'll be first." With that, he turned the helmet into his mouth and took a large mouthful, and then pulled it back down again.

"Hey! I'm no wimp! Pass it here!" Wyvern insisted. Still holding the substance in his own mouth, Odin passed the helmet over to Wyvern. The esper bravely dipped it to his lips and took a big swig, and then promptly swallowed it to show his bravery. Odin began to swallow his own at the same time. Immediately, Wyvern choked and gagged, and his face turned terrible. "Ugh! Essence of Odin!" He wretched. "How often do you clean the sweat out of your helmet?"

Odin finished swallowing and answered. "Never."

"I'm not drinking that." Ogopogo immediately stated defiantly.

Odin blinked a moment, looking a bit distracted, then looked down to his body. He appeared a bit stunned for a moment. "You better…" He slowly remarked, trailing off as he ordered it. Then, still looking bewildered, he suddenly unfastened his torso armor and pulled it off, exposing his bare chest. It was litered with bruises, scrapes, and two bloody cuts. Yet it was quickly changing. The other espers looked, and their eyes grew as they watched the purple color slowly fade from Odin's bruises. The blood scabs became fresh and then drew themselves back into the wounds, before they slowly closed up as well. On one of Odin's sides, a movement occurred under his skin as one of his bones popped back into place, and Odin grunted a little at it. As for the burns on him, they began to flake off as if they were no more than black sand.

Ogopogo blinked once, then extended coils to Wyvern. "Pass that sweat."

Ogopogo drank next, followed by Leviathan, and then Starlet afterward. But by the time that was done, there was only one mouthful left. Phoenix and Bahamut looked to each other for a moment, and looked down at the helmet between them. After a few moments, Phoenix finally looked up and pushed it to him.

"You take it." She insisted. "You're the stronger fighter. You need to be in top shape."

"Oh, this?" Bahamut replied, indicating to his own injuries. "Don't worry about it. Tiamat didn't leave any lasting damage. Besides, you need to be back at full health so you can use that technique again if we need it."

Phoenix hesitated and frowned. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

The firebird sighed, but then tipped the helmet to her mouth and downed the last mouthful.

Odin abruptly sprang to his feet afterward. The only marks left on his skin now were the dried remains of injuries that had healed but were now gone. "Unbelieveable…" He remarked. "Even my bones healed…" He threw a few practice swings of his fists in the air, and sure enough they were as strong and flawless as ever. "My muscles aren't even tired…"

Wyvern hopped up next, freely showing off his own strength as well. "Man…usually it tires out my brain to be doing so many of my special attacks, but even that feels better now!"

Starlet readily sprang to her own feet, and beamed down at Palad. "You did it, Palad. Thank you very much!"

The boy blushed a little, seeming glad to help for once his larger and more powerful friends. It was a big relief to him and filled him with pride. The rest of the espers soon sprang up, each one feeling totally revived and revitalized. All of the pain and injuries were like a dream now. Leviathan even spat on the ground, and then looked down and examined what he had done. "Clear as a pond, not a trace of blood. Guess that takes care of any internal injuries."

Phoenix, last to recover, sprang up, circled in the air once, and then touched back down again. "All right, we're all recovered. So now what do we do?"

"That's obvious." Wyvern answered, swinging his fists challengingly in the air and grinning wide. "We head on down to Griever's and give him a piece of our mind."

"No way!" Ogopogo bleated. "We won the battle; let's call it even for one day."

Wyvern turned to him and frowned. "What're you talking about? You heard the monster. He said Bahamut's stronger than Griever now. With all of us together he won't stand a chance."

Bahamut, however, looked stern and cold. "I'm afraid Ogopogo might be right. We shouldn't risk getting in a fight with Griever."

All of the espers turned around and glared at Bahamut in puzzlement. Wyvern looked almost insulted. "But Big B, you heard what he said. You-"

"I know what he said." Bahamut cut off. "I also remember what Jadea said before he died…how Griever might be able to make his power increase a hundred times stronger than we were after we learned the Pyrin. Even now, with all Four Fiends dead, the evil dominating this world hasn't diminished. Griever's power must be unbelieveable compared to that of the Fiends."

Odin crossed his arms and frowned. "So now what? We run back and get a beating from Crusader fit for all of us? Come back in a few months when Griever could have made four more Fiends?"

"I wouldn't recommend that either." Bahamut reiterated. "Even with the Four Fiends dead, Griever still has the Crystal. He'll still be able to reach out and kill humans everywhere. My guess is he doesn't know the battle's over yet, but in the next few hours he's going to start getting suspicious. Our victory bought us some time and we have to use it."

"How?" Leviathan asked.

Bahamut responded by turning to Phoenix. "You think you can bear Starlet and Palad in flight?"

Phoenix was surprised at suddenly being addressed, but after hesitating she nodded.

"Good." Bahamut answered. "No offense, but I can see that you three are the weakest out of all of us. But you're still much stronger than anything else on this world besides Griever. You guys need to go and start finding as many human villages as you can. Move their residents as far away from the Griever statues as possible. Take them somewhere safe, but put them all together. Without clothing or weapons, they'll all need to stick together as much as possible. Make them take any hides they have with them and some of their fire."

"Me?" Phoenix asked in surprise. "You want me to do all this?"

"Palad and Starlet can help." Bahamut answered. "But I'm counting on you and we have little time. You can fly and you have better eyes than any of us."

"What if they refuse to come?" Starlet asked.

"They will." Bahamut answered. "Palad thought we were Griever or minions of Griever when we first found him. Once they see your power they'll do what you say. And if not…well…it shouldn't be too hard to overpower them. Even Palad at this point could probably command a village by himself after all that training."

"But what'll we do once we've gathered them?" Phoenix asked.

"And why aren't you and Wyvern helping?" Starlet added.

"Guys, there's no time." He insisted. "Suffice to say Wyvern is the second strongest out of all of us and I need his help for something else. Trust me…we'll be doing the harder job. Now go."

Starlet and Phoenix might have protested more, but Palad was already ready to rescue. Taking up his axe, he quickly ran over to Phoenix. "Come on!" He insisted. "Let's go! We have to save the people!"

Starlet's and Phoenix's instincts took over then. They weren't going to deny Palad. They looked down to him hopelessly for a moment, but then finally caved. Phoenix bent down and went flat, and Palad quickly jumped on. Starlet quickly followed suit right behind. She cast a longing look to Bahamut, as if to try and tell him that she too was able to fight. But he wouldn't have any of it. Without her sword, Bahamut didn't think Starlet had anything to offer. And so, he merely looked back hard and unchanging as Phoenix lifted off from the ground. She quickly flapped high and into the sky. Once she was there, she turned away from the others and began to take off as fast as she could. The others watched her as she went away for a few moments, but then she vanished, and they were alone again.

Almost immediately, Leviathan tapped Bahamut on the shoulder with his tail. "Uh, Bahamut?" He asked. The esper turned and looked to him. "I was wondering…now that you're at your level, is there any way you could somehow raise our own powers? You know, by going into our minds and unlocking what's there?"

Bahamut immediately smiled in response. "You _are_ a mind reader, Leviathan. That's just what I was hoping for. Now, mind you, this won't be that good. I can only raise it a little. We don't have a lot of time and this will have to be a rush job. But I can give you all a little boost. Let's get started. There's no telling when Griever will arrive." He then turned his head and searched the group for a moment. Finally, his eyes rested on Ogopogo. "You're the weakest, Ogopogo. You first."

The serpent, ever nervous, swallowed a little and nervously gestured to himself. "Uh, me?"

"Go on, Ogo." Leviathan encouraged, gesturing him forward. "You're nearly to my level on mentality. Maybe you'll learn my powers too."

Ogopogo still looked uneasy. "Uh, will it hurt?"

"Not at all." Bahamut answered. "Just get over here. Hurry, there's not much time."

Ogopogo swallowed again, and looked nervously around at the others. Leviathan was encouraging, but Odin and Wyvern seemed impatient for him to go. At last, he managed to slither forward toward Bahamut. In truth, he feared him a little now that he had gotten so strong. But still he did as he was told. Soon, he was right before the esper. "Ok, what do I do?"

"Just close your eyes and try to clear your mind as best you can."

Ogopogo swallowed, but then closed his eyes and did so. Bahamut watched him for a moment, as he inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly. Once it seemed as if Ogopogo was ready enough, the esper raised both of his hands and placed them on his head. He bowed his own long neck and closed his own eyes. "Now keep your mind clear." He warned, and then went silent and focused. Leviathan, with his ability to read minds, immediately looked in on what Bahamut was doing. But he could see little. There was a lot of random thoughts bumping around and things coming out of nowhere. There were strange visions and items popping out. But over it all, he felt Ogopogo's power steadily rise. In an instant he surpassed Leviathan, and then kept on going. However, after a moment, it seemed to plateau, and then taper off. When that happened, Bahamut opened his eyes and released Ogopogo.

The serpant himself opened his eyes, looking amazed as he did so. He breathed a little slowly, seeming to marvel over his own new power. He turned and he looked to Leviathan with wide, amazed eyes, and then spoke to him. But he didn't use words.

_Leviathan…my power almost doubled._

Leviathan smiled at his brother and nodded. _You also look like you awakened some of your powers._

The serpent managed to smile and nod. _That's right. The Aqua-ject came out in my mind too._

_Alright you two. That's enough. Leviathan, you're next._

Leviathan turned over to the source of the new noise, and soon rested his eyes on Bahamut. The esper was now beckoning to him. Quickly, Ogopogo got out of the way, and Leviathan moved up in his place. He was much more bold this time, and quickly put himself in the same position. Bahamut focused on him and looked him in the eye. "Now I managed to unlock some of Ogopogo's abilities. But because you managed to unlock some on your own, I should be able to do more with you. Are you ready?"

Leviathan nodded.

"Ok. Clear your mind."

Leviathan immediately did as he was told. He had been practicing this somewhat, and it was now second nature for him to clear his own mind. Immediately, he focused on nothing, and held himself there. He closed his eyes and continued to focus. He was so dedicated, he barely even noticed Bahamut placing his hands on his head. But he certainly noticed what happened next.

It was rather like he had seen in Ogopogo's mind, only now Leviathan was forced to feel it for himself. He felt a presence move through him, pulling up old memories and casting them around as if it was searching for something beneath them. But what more, it felt like a massive force had seized him and was going to work on him. He felt a great loosening, as if his whole life there had been knots tied up in his body and brain, and that now they were being undone. He felt his ability to read minds becoming stronger and clearer. Things that he knew before became more clearly established in his mind, and his power grew considerably. He felt more control over the Aqua-ject than ever, and even felt somewhere deeper in his mind that he had a greater power still awaiting him. But just as he began to see it, it suddenly pulled itself away, and his memories piled back on top of it and buried it once again. It was lost again in his mind, and Bahamut was finished. The serpent opened his eyes and looked to Bahamut.

His power had grown stronger. He felt over twice as strong himself. He looked around to Odin and Wyvern, and was pleased to see he could more clearly feel their strengths than before. He still was no match for Wyvern, but he was now amazed to see he could deal with Odin. Not saying a word, however, he slid to the side.

"Ok Odin, now you."

Odin grunted as he reluctantly came forward. "I'd rather train myself, Bahamut. I don't need your help to become strong."

"I already told you. You're strength training wasn't for nothing." Bahamut explained. "You surpassed everyone except Wyvern in terms of that. This will just help you get the most of it."

Odin snorted. "Fine. Let's get it over with."

"Alright, but you'll have to clear your mind."

"Yes, yes, get on with it." Odin answered, closing his eyes, crossing his arms, and sighing.

Bahamut waited for a while with him. Odin was strong, but he hadn't focused too much on developing his mind. It might have been harder for him. However, being a warrior, he was still able to uncloud his mind to focus on a task at hand. As such, Bahamut bowed his own head and placed his hands on Odin, and began to do the same thing as before. Leviathan decided to stay out of Odin's head for this time, thinking he would react strongly if he knew he was in there. However, he was soon amazed to see Odin's dramatic increase of strength. In no time at all, Leviathan was back to being weaker than him, and Odin continued to rise. His power too more than doubled, before it too tapered off and stopped. Bahamut released him and stood back to let him react.

Odin silently looked down at his body, examining it and seeming to check it's new strength. He did so for a short while, not looking as enthusiastic as Ogopogo and Leviathan did. In the end, he frowned a bit and looked back to Bahamut. "It's stronger at least." He admitted. "But I noticed I'm still well below Wyvern and you. I would still be a pushover if I tried to fight any of the Fiends as I am now."

Bahamut shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. That's the best I can do for now."

"I also didn't master telepathy." Odin added.

"No, but you're sensing and receptive power increased. Sorry, but you'll have to master it on your own it looks like." Bahamut answered.

Odin grumbled, but then turned away and looked to the ground. He saw his wet helmet laying there, and quickly bent over and picked it up. As he did so, he tore a clod of grassy earth from the ground, and proceeded to use it as a sort of cloth to wipe out the interior. After doing so, he replaced the helmet on his head. However, no sooner had he done so, then he suddenly snapped his head to the north. And he wasn't alone. Bahamut and Leviathan quickly turned their heads to do the same. Their eyes enlarged, and a cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Wyvern and Ogopogo saw this, and looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong?" Ogopogo asked.

"What's going on?" Wyvern insisted.

No one answered for a moment. They only continued to stare northward and look fearful. However, Odin was the one who was bold enough to announce the first statement.

"Griever…is coming."

Immediately, Ogopogo went white as a sheet. "G-G-Griever!"

"He's horrible…" Leviathan remarked, breathless with fear as he stared blankly northward, as if he saw some invisible monster headed for them. "His aura…it's pulsing with evil…and he makes Tiamat look like a joke."

"He's headed straight here." Odin spoke darkly, his eyes already focusing and burning on the direction of Griever's approach. "He's fast…horribly fast… He'll be here within an hour."

Ogopogo yelped. "Run! Let's run while we still can! He senses us!"

"I don't think so, Ogo." Leviathan assured, while still looking fearfully northward. "I can sense the mental ability coming off of you and Bahamut, but I can't sense anything from this one. Even Tiamat was only able to sense to a small degree, and the other Fiends didn't sense at all. Otherwise they probably wouldn't have been stupid enough to charge Bahamut."

"Good." Wyvern replied with a challenging grin. "Once Bahamut unlocks my power, we'll be unbeatable. We can end this right today."

"No, Wyvern." Bahamut immediately corrected. "You've got a lot of potential in you to unlock, especially since you have a somewhat developed mind and strength training, but my little boost won't do you any good. Maybe if you could ascend to the next highest level of attack we'd be better prepared, but not right now."

Odin turned his head grimly to Bahamut. "Then what are you suggesting? Do we run back to Ultima Nexus? Or do we help Starlet and Phoenix in their own task?"

"Neither." Bahamut responded with a smile.

Now, all of the espers turned and faced him. All of their looks were puzzled. "Excuse me?" Leviathan asked.

"This is the chance we've been waiting for." Bahamut answered. "He's got so much power he's leaving a tailpipe behind him. It leads right back to wherever he's based. You can bet that he's got the Crystal stored there. And now, without the Fiends, there's no one left to guard it." After saying this, Bahamut turned to Odin. "You said he'd be here in an hour. Now, I know Slepnir is fast, but-"

Odin's frown vanished as he cracked a smile. "Don't worry. Fast as this guy is, Slepnir is fast as the wind itself. He could be there in fifteen minutes…twenty at the most. I see what you're getting at. You want us to steal the Crystal right out from underneath Griever's nose."

Bahamut smiled wider and nodded. "Exactly. After I've released Wyvern's power, you all can take off and head for Griever's hideout. If Slepnir can move that fast and you guys can find it fast enough, you should be there and back with the Crystal before Griever even gets here. Then we just need to run. But even if you don't, you guys can take off and I'll take off, and Griever will be left looking at what's left of the Four Fiends. If need be, I can stall him a while too if anything goes wrong. Once we have the Crystal, he'll never be able to make any Fiends again. He'll not only be blind to our power but blind to the rest of the world. We can save the humans and find out what to do from there at our leisure."

Leviathan smiled too and nodded. "It's one heck of a risk, and I don't like wandering into a bee's nest, but it's the best bet we've got and I'm all for it."

Ogopogo sweat and gulped a moment, turning his head back to Leviathan. However, seeing his brother willing to go helped to push him. He sighed and shrugged and then turned back to Bahamut. "I guess I'll help too… I do know that new power now…"

Wyvern, however, looked skeptical. He began to walk up to Bahamut, his eyes full of concern and seeming reluctant to the entire plan. "Wait." He told him. "Can I have a word in private with you, Big B?"

Bahamut turned to him and gazed in puzzlement. What could the problem be? The others seemed to agree. Odin frowned and crossed his arms again. "Come on, you. We don't need to waste our time with idle chit-chat or brotherly wishes."

Wyvern ignored him, but made straight for Bahamut. His face was expectant. He gestured a bit ahead, away from the others. Bahamut frowned a little, and turned anxiously to the north and scanned the sky. Griever was still coming, and he knew there wasn't much time for this. But in the end, he sighed and turned his body back to Wyvern. After doing so, he turned and began to walk with him away from the rest of the espers. He supposed they had time. Even at his slowest, Slepnir could still give them a twenty minute opening in which to find the Crystal once they got there. If this was quick it wouldn't matter. Besides, it had been months since he was able to talk with his brother. He really wished there was more time, but now wasn't a good opportunity. At any rate, he walked with Wyvern until they were fairly far away from the others, well out of earshot. He knew very well that Ogopogo and Leviathan would still sense their thoughts, but he hoped that they had enough decency not to do so. They halted and turned to each other.

"What is it?" Bahamut asked.

"Teach me the Pyron." Wyvern answered.

Bahamut paused a moment, but then felt like laughing a little. Was this another one of Wyvern's jokes? However, his brother looked perfectly serious. "Teach you the Pyron?"

"Come on!" Wyvern urged, though keeping his voice low. "You can do it, can't you?"

"Well…yeah." Bahamut answered. "But it would take a while, and right now we're a little short on time…"

"We have an hour."

"That might not be long enough."

"But look at you! You're already outstripping me by leaps and bounds. I gotta catch up!"

Bahamut sighed a bit. This was getting on his nerves. "Well, we can worry about that later. This isn't about which one of us is the better fighter or stronger. We've got to worry about the humans."

"I know, I know." Wyvern nodded. "But think about it. You said with my physical training and mental fortitude I'd get the largest boost. Why settle there? If both of us are as strong as you, Griever doesn't stand a chance. Why settle for the Crystal when we can put Griever down for good tonight?"

"Are you two coming or what?" Odin suddenly called from his position. "We can't wait forever."

Bahamut groaned and turned his head to him. "In a minute!" He insisted, before impatiently turning his head back to Wyvern. He wished his brother wasn't so insistant on being strong. If he had been patient enough to focus like Bahamut had while imprisoned, he _would_ be as strong as him. Right now they couldn't afford to divide their forces.

"I don't think even both of us together is enough to beat Griever." Bahamut stated, which was truth enough. "I'm not even sure if the Mega-pyrin is my Omniapex."

Wyvern hesitated after this. He stared at Bahamut a moment, then suddenly changed his tone. Now it became more pleading and soft.

"Bahamut…don't you remember the promise we made? We vowed that we were going to save this world together. This was going to be our moment, our promise to this planet."

Bahamut immediately felt a turn in his stomach. He paused a moment, but then bowed his head and nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"Bahamut…we've always done everything together." Wyvern went on. "We've been close as brothers can get. We've only really had each other growing up. You know…we've always been there for each other. We always helped each other out of scrapes and trouble." He hesitated a moment. "Be here for me now. Let's do this together too. Let's let it be our bond as brothers, forever."

Bahamut sighed again. After hearing Wyvern, he began to feel torn inside. It was true. He had always been together with him. He always had done everything with him. And now, he was so far above Wyvern that he realized his brother had good reason to feel left behind or left out. Slowly, Bahamut raised his head and turned it over to the others. Odin was impatiently waiting and Ogopogo showed nothing, but Leviathan was mouthing "no" to him. Evidently, he had been reading their minds. And Leviathan had a point. If they did run into trouble, Wyvern was their best bet for getting them out of it. They didn't have time to waste doing this. It was a silly and foolish diversion that they couldn't afford.

And yet…as Bahamut turned and looked into Wyvern's pleading eyes once again, he couldn't deny him. Closer as he had grown to his siblings, Wyvern was still the closest of all. Until now, they had taken every step together, and he didn't want to leave him behind at this time. He could not deny his most beloved relative a request. He paused only a moment longer, but then sighed and gave a nod. "All right, Wyvern. I'll teach it to you."

Immediately, Wyvern's face lit up in delight.

"But…" Bahamut warned. "If Griever gets here before we're done, I'm cutting it off."

"Sure, sure…" Wyvern answered, waving it off. "Let's just hurry up. I can't wait to show Griever that I know his little servant's best attack!"

At this, Leviathan could hold no longer. "No, Bahamut!" He called over from where he was. "We can't afford the time!"

"Time for what?" Odin immediately demanded.

Leviathan sighed and looked to him. "He's going to keep Wyvern here and teach him the Pyron, even though it will take a long time."

Immediately, Odin blustered. "No!" He instantly commanded. "You've already grown stronger than me! You told me you didn't have time to raise my power any more! But evidently, for your closest brother you can always make exceptions. If you're going to do that for him, I want every moment of his time extended to me as well!"

"Come on!" Ogopogo whined. "Don't leave us on our own! Wyvern's one of our best!"

Bahamut groaned inwardly. He had a feeling this would happen. Wyvern didn't seem to care. He merely hopped eagerly in place waiting to learn the attack. It was up to Bahamut to make an excuse. Sighing, he turned and looked to the others. "Look, if you want me to help you get stronger, then we can do it when you get back. But we don't have time right now. I just decided that if Griever gets here, it would probably be better for Wyvern to help me out. You guys don't really need his help just to pick up the Crystal. Do you?"

Leviathan, of course, saw right through Bahamut's lie. However, he didn't dispute him. He merely looked at him in a disappointed way and shook his head at him, expressing his clear view of what a bad idea this was. Ogopogo anxiously looked to Odin for an answer. The warrior esper glared at him a long time, his arms crossed and sullen faced. In the end, however, he snorted and turned his back to him.

"I don't need or want your help." He sneered. "I'll surpass you on my own."

With that, Odin gave a sharp whistle. A moment later, shooting like a thunderbolt, Slepnir emerged from one of the hills surrounding the battlefield and darted straight for its master. In no time flat it had cleared the plains and was right in front of him. Never looking back to Bahamut, Odin sheathed his blade behind him and mounted him. Leviathan sighed and shook his head at Bahamut one more time, then turned and slithered up to mount himself on the horse by coiling his body once around it. Ogopogo gulped again, but then quickly slid up after his brother and mounted in a similar fashion. Odin didn't bother giving Bahamut a parting look. He merely clicked to signal Slepnir to move. The horse reared up and kicked four of its six legs for a moment. Then, it went back down and leapt up. Like a flash, the animal shot high into the air, and Bahamut looked up after him and watched him vanish into a dot. Soon, they were gone.

The esper sighed. He hoped he hadn't made the wrong choice. Even if he didn't, he felt he had alienated himself from his brothers once again. But Wyvern didn't care at all.

"Finally, they're gone!" He piped up, as if he hadn't grown one bit closer to them since the day he was born. "Let's get started! Come on!" He urged.

Bahamut turned away from them and looked to Wyvern with a nod. "Alright, alright. Now this is going to be harder…"

"Yes, yes…"

"And will require more focus…"

"Alright, alright, let's go!"

"Listen to me!" Bahamut insisted, almost growing angry with Wyvern. "This is going to be hard for me so you need to help me out! Now you're not only going to have to clear your mind this time, but also meditate on learning the Pyron. My guess is because you're like me it'll come natural, so I'll try to guide you to unlocking it. But you will have to help me, otherwise I'll just plateau like I did with the others. And sitting down is probably better."

"Ok, ok." Wyvern answered. He quickly dropped to the ground in a seated position, looking the total opposite of calm and clear. Bahamut stared at him disdainfully for a moment, but then also sat down. He bent his head and closed his eyes as before, and then reached over and placed his hands on Wyvern's head.

"Now bow your head like mine and close your eyes, and focus."

* * *

To be continued...


	15. Griever

Piccolo Sky, starting off a chapter for once. Since someone has asked, I might as well explain some of the nomenclature. A lot of the attacks in the story are unique to a monster or esper, but there are also a lot that are based off of magical attacks that the humans will be able to use as well in the future (in other FF games).

"Pyrin" isn't much of an attack. It's equivilent is the Twin Magic "Pyro" from FFIV. In other words, it is a small version of "Flare".

"Pyron", on the other hand, _is_ the equivilent of "Flare". That's why rather than a single ball attack, it was actually multiple balls, and it scattered more after it was done (see the FFIV animation).

"Mega-pyrin"'s equivilent can be inferred by referring to the other names. Essentially, it is "Megaflare".

"Magnavolt" is an elevated level of a thunder attack, equivilent to "Thundara".

"Quake Swallow" is basically "Quake". ...I don't come up with Latin root names for everything. :P

As for the other techniques, "Contra-cycle", "Aqua-ject", "Pyrimshad", and "Terra-ject", those I essentially made up. Since Leviathan, Ogopogo, and Kraken elongate and wrap around their prey, I called it "Contra-cycle". "Aqua-ject" is essentially throwing water at your opponent, though its pressurized into a blade. "Pyrimshad" is an attack I evented for Phoenix. Essentially, it's a mixture of the root "pyro" and "shimisham". "Terra-ject", like before, is throwing earth at your opponent.

If the names really annoy you, then hang on. Many of Griever's attacks have their original game names..._

* * *

_

_Damned brothers…_

_I should have known they'd keep secrets from me. So much for wanting us all in on their little game. They let us get the life beaten out of us while they harbor secrets to power. _I'm_ supposed to be the strongest esper! And I thought they were going to start looking to me as a brother… Hmph…hypocrites… I'll get stronger…I'll be better… I'll surpass them both for good and for all. _I'll_ be the one who kills Griever…alone and without their help._

Leviathan frowned a bit as he read an endless stream of thoughts coming from Odin's mind just like this. They were so intense they were more than enough to drown out his old fear of Slepnir periodically touching down on the ground before sailing back into the stratosphere again. It was nothing like what Odin was thinking. Leviathan could now read Bahamut's mind and knew there wasn't an ounce of pride in it. He was only doing this because he still felt stronger ties to his brother, and could he have he would have shared the knowledge he learned with the rest of them long ago. But Odin was hurt. He had always believed himself to be the strongest esper. Now his pride was bruised and he wouldn't forgive it soon. Fortunately, Odin had a warrior mentality and wasn't going to let personal feelings keep him from helping the humans. One thing was true: he and Bahamut shared a love for them.

As for Wyvern's mentality…

Well…now wasn't the time.

Leviathan shuddered as he felt the air grow colder. It was always cold on this world, but it was growing even colder now as they went north. The air was growing drier. The vegetation below them was beginning to thin out, and more mountains and rough valleys were replacing them. Ironically, however, the sky seemed to be clearing up somewhat. It seemed as if actually the clouds were breaking overhead. They still formed an impenetrable curtain, but they were definitely growing thinner.

Nevertheless, everything seemed to grow quiet as they continued to move upward. The air grew still and silent. They were beyond where any birds flew or wildlife ran. They were heading into a lifeless part of the world. As the plants diminished, only rough, jagged rocks replaced them. Leviathan felt rather uneasy. It had been already a few minutes since they had passed Griever, or so he sensed. They were widening the gap all the time now. And yet he still felt like he was wandering into danger. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, but it seemed like he could only sense more evil…as if they were headed straight for the heart of it. Perhaps the Crystal itself was evil…

As the last of the vegetation vanished and the world below became nothing but a series of dark mountains…as each touch down of Slepnir shifted rocks instead of mud and the sky continued to clear and chill more, he noticed a change in the others. Slepnir was becoming more erratic, its animal senses seeming to pick up on something eerie up ahead. Ogopogo was trembling more than the cold would allow. Odin himself was stiffening, his warrior muscles tightening up as he continued to guide Slepnir onward. Indeed…they were all feeling it. But the massive power was going farther and farther away…wasn't it?

"…Look."

The single cold word made Ogopogo leap a little, and Leviathan nearly did so as well. But it was only Odin who spoke, and now the brothers turned and looked to see what he saw.

The world below them was a sea of rocky mountains now, stretching into deep crags and massive valleys in all directions. But ahead of them, there was a difference. A basin seemed to be formed in the mass of wicked looking mountains. It was gigantic, stretching for what looked like an easy mile in radius. Right at the very center of it was a large peak, towering high and tall over all the rocky mountains around it. It was crowned with only a single sharp peak, but that mountain looked darker and colder than all the others by far. And yet, most unusual of all…this was the one place in the world where light was. Indeed, opening in a circle that seemed to form just over the mountain itself was a hole in the clouds. Above it, the sky was as blue and clear and beautiful as it was back in Ultima Nexus. Seeing it, all three brothers were amazed and strengthed by the sight. However, it was dark for now. A large circle of light was elsewhere on the mountain sea, for the sun wasn't directly overhead. The mountain itself was enveloped in shadow, and looked dark and foreboding indeed. Sure enough…that was where Leviathan sensed Griever had left from.

"L-L-Lovely dwelling…" Ogopogo sarcastically/nervously uttered.

"We won't be staying long, luckily." Odin answered.

The warrior esper might have told them to keep their eyes peeled for an entrance, but abruptly as Slepnir landed, he soon had another problem. The horse whined and began to pace nervously. Sweat began to roll off of its neck. Genuine fear and panic had seized it, and it nearly threw its riders off. Immediately, Odin had to calm it down, and was struggling for a few minutes doing so. At that time, Leviathan knew something was wrong. Some great source of evil was there. Perhaps it was the Crystal. Maybe there was another Fiend of the Elements. But when he finally got enough strength to voice his opinions, Odin spurred Slepnir on. The horse leapt to the mountain again, obeying its master, andneutralizing its fear to keep itself moving.

As they neared, Leviathan and the others spotted an entrance. High up on the side of the mountain, a great gaping hole was in the side. It was in the mountain almost like a half moon shape, and it was for this that Odin geared Slepnir. As they neared, both Ogopogo and Leviathan swallowed when they saw the mountain entrance in more detail. Dangerous stalagtites hung from the top of it in large, ten-foot pieces, and stalagmites on the bottom rised up to meet them. Oddly enough, they were only around the exit to the mountain and not inside the cave…giving the illusion of a giant black mouth with razor-sharp teeth. Leviathan more than ever wanted to turn back now, but Odin would have none of it. He continued to gear Slepnir forward, and they touched down on the foot of the mountain. Wasting no time, he spurred it on again, and the animal leapt up and straight into the mouth.

A moment later, Leviathan was surprised to see that they weren't landing on a cave floor, but were landing on a perfectly smooth stone floor. It was black, shimmering stone, however, and it was even colder to the touch than the dry air. Yet no sooner had they touched down than Odin roughly shoved both him and Ogopogo off, and both of them nearly crashed to the ground, and might have had they had feet. He quickly leapt off himself, and then gave a grunt to Slepnir. Free at last, the animal turned and immediately leapt back out of the mouth and began to clear away as fast as it could. Ogopogo's head snapped at that, and he grew terrified.

"He's leaving us!"

"No he's not." Odin gruffly answered. "But he's not staying around either. He'll come when I call him and we're ready to leave. Now let's get inside and find the Crystal."

Ogopogo was sweating now, but Odin calmly walked by him and began to go into the cave. Leviathan turned to Odin as well, hesitated, but then followed after him. Ogopogo swallowed again, and then trembled and followed after them.

The flat stone floor stretched in for a little bit. It was so smooth and clear that Leviathan could actually see his reflection in it when they were in the daylight. However, it scared him. It was like hovering over a black pond. The three espers descended deeper into the darkness of the cave, away from the mouth and seeming to be entering the gullet of a black beast. But they had barely gone into the darkness before they reached something else. Ahead of them, the stone was cut perfect and smooth in overlapping areas, each one about a step above the other. What the net effect was was a gradually ascending surface, ascending higher into the mountain…and deeper into blackness.

"Uh…" Ogopogo groaned.

"Come on." Odin ordered, leading the way and beginning to ascend the stones one by one.

Leviathan exhaled nervously, but began to slither up the stones himself. Ogopogo held back, but then followed after them. Soon, they were making their way upward. It grew darker as they went higher, and Leviathan wasn't sure how far it went. He definitely felt like he was wandering into danger now, but he didn't stop. As they went higher, the light behind them began to dim. Growing farther and farther away from the entrance robbed them of the dim light, and let them be shrouded in deeper darkness. As they kept going, it began to vanish all together, and the three of them were enveloped in it. It was cold and still, ever so much more than anything they ever encountered. It seemed to close on all of them.

But there was one effect. As the darkness surrounded them, their eyes accustomed, and they began to see the stones more easily in front of them. As they kept climbing, they also saw them terminate. They saw the walls around them too. They looked rougher, but not in a purely chaotic manner. Although they were irregular, they were still arranged in a pile of perfectly smooth, reflective black surfaces. Leviathan and the others now saw hundreds of phantom images looking at them rather than just one. Up ahead, at the top of the stones, the opening seemed to enlarge into a much bigger cave area. And up there…a faint blue light was shining. This light was warm and soft…the first merry sight they had seen since they reached this forbidden part of the world. It shone into their own eyes, and began to embolden them to keep ascending. It grew stronger as they kept going, and Leviathan heard a pretty sound…like shimmering…like solid crystal water dancing in the air…if such a thing was possible.

At last, the three espers cleared the last stone and once again were on flat ground. They took a few steps forward into their new area, and noticed that each one of their noises echoed throughout it. Then they gazed and stared at the new place in awe.

The walls were much the same as before, black and shimmering and pseudo-fractured. But now, they made a gigantic dome shape, encompassing a giant area that spanned many feet across. Right in the center of the room, the rock elevated again gradually to about two feet off the ground in discrete rock cuts, like before. Right in the center of it a single rock stalagmite extended up about four feet off the ground, and formed four black prongs. Seated right on the center of that…was the most beautiful, simple, glorious sight they had ever witnessed…the Crystal.

Never had any of the espers seen such a beautiful thing. It was large…about the size of Leviathan's head. Both the top and bottom of it formed a pyramidal type shape, the bottom of which lightly perched on the black points. The main body of it, however, was a prism. It was clear as the purest water, and deep within it, the Crystal radiated a soft blue light. That was the light for the chamber, stretching out to all the walls on every side, reflecting and illuminating all in its soft glow. There were also pits dug into the rock on all sides, and within them blue flames burned, but the Crystal outshone them easily. Never before had the espers seen something so perfect…so unspoiled… It looked like a piece of pure, unadulterated life itself. For a moment, the three were totally absorbed with it, nearly mesmerized by its shimmer.

…But that feeling vanished very quickly…as a dark, powerful, echoing voice vibrated through the chamber.

_"…You have come."_

Immediately, the espers forgot all about the Crystal as that new voice chilled their souls. They looked down to the source, even as the power of the voice continued to radiate through the chamber. Their eyes soon rested on a single form, one that had blended in with the blackness before. A great black shape seemed to arise from the ground, melting in on either side. But it wasn't a shape, it was a cloak…a thick black cloak with a large heavy hood, so black that it seemed to absorb all light into it and become a piece of living shadow. The bearer of the cloak kept its face turned away, and only the hood greeted the espers. It too was absorbed in staring at the Crystal.

But now, the hearts of the espers froze. Terror filled them, even Odin who's eyes grew and struggled to contain his own fear. Leviathan could feel the evil radiating off of it…could feel the tremendous power…making Tiamat look pathetic. It was here. Somehow, he had come back here…beat them back here despite passing them. Leviathan didn't know how…all he knew was the fear he felt as he sensed the new danger.

Griever was here.

_"…So soft…" _The monster slowly cooed. Leviathan wondered if he was talking about them for a moment…but he wasn't. He was addressing the Crystal. _"So smooth…so pure…so beautiful… My love…my darling…it wants me…it talks to me…it loves me… My fair…my beloved…"_ Indeed, the monster sounded almost mesmerized, as if it was passionately in love with the Crystal itself. Leviathan chanced to look at the thing's mind. In the midst of all its evil and wickedness…somewhere he saw that that was indeed the case. Griever was in love with it…and loved it more than anything, especially anyone's life. Suddenly, it's voice turned to a hiss.

_"…They can't take it away from me…no one can! It's mine! It's all mine… My sweet…my ever-so-beautiful… I can't be away from you…I can't! I would never let them take you from me! I love you too much! You were made for me…as I was made for you… We were meant to be together…forever… None of these humans…none of these Fiends…just you and I…forever…and ever… Now that they're gone, I'll give all my love to you… But first…"_ Here, his voice turned deadly. _"I must rid outselves of those who would disrupt our union…"_

"Griever." Odin stated. In his attempt to control his fear, he was the one to call out to the monstrosity.

"But…but…" Ogopogo stammered. "We…we felt you move…we felt you come for-"

_"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

The espers froze as their blood turned to ice. Their courage faltered for a moment, as the beast laughed hideously at all of them, its laughter mocking and evil. The laughter continued to echo through the chamber, sounding again and again and only slowly fading away. Leviathan had never felt so terrified in all his life. He almost felt like closing his eyes and trying to see if this was a nightmare. But it wasn't…it was real. And now, the thing addressed them at last.

_"Poor…simple…inconsequential Ogopogo… You and your brood would think that the slightest extension of my power was truly me. What you sensed with your pitiful brains was merely one of my smaller powers. I knew simply sending it in your direction would make you think that I was coming for you. No, my boy…I am far stronger than that meaningless trifle. But by now you probably realize that. You should have known from the start…my power is so great it can be felt throughout this world."_

There was plenty reason to be scared of that, but Leviathan was more shocked at what Griever had said to begin with. "You…know his name?"

_"I have always known about all of you, Leviathan."_ Griever calmly continued. _"That is Odin with you, is it not? I should have known you'd always be the one to finish the Four Fiends…although I can't see how you ever managed to summon the merest smattering of power to do so. I doubt the worms on your sides were much help. But yes…I know about you all. I've known about you ever since the day you entered existence."_

Now, Odin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? And why don't you show yourself to us! I'm getting tired of addressing a piece of clothing!"

_"Certainly, Odin."_

The monster turned immediately, his long cape sweeping around as he did so. As he turned and faced the others, he raised his hands to his head and pulled back the hood, immediately exposing a long trail of golden, shining hair. It lowered its hands, small and dainty and perfect, to undo its cape next, and let it fall to the ground. Immediately, it revealed a trim body decked with golden armor, pure and spotless in the blue light. The form was perfect and trim as well. When the espers looked to the face, they gaped in horror. This was more terrible than anything yet… It wasn't possible…it had to be a nightmare. But there was no denying the truth, or the feelings of confusion or surprise as they looked on _her_ face.

"C…Crusader…?"

* * *

Bahamut's eyes abruptly opened, and he raised his head. He pried himself away from the terrible work of struggling to teach Wyvern Pyron. His mind wasn't that far along and it was more than difficult to get his overly-eager mind to focus. But he forgot about the task for a moment, and looked to the sky. 

He still sensed Griever coming…only now he sensed something new. Griever seemed to be fading…dissipating… His energy was getting weaker and more spread out. This puzzled Bahamut for a moment, and he focused more on it to see the cause. But it only continued to fade away and spread out. This made no sense. Bahamut's face turned to confusion, and he tried to think what this was all about…

But then, Bahamut suddenly realized something. He had sensed something like this before…when he had fired the Mega-pyrin. It was so strong that the wave after it continued to travel for miles and miles before fading out into nothing…and when it did, it spread out and slowly tuned into nothing. Griever felt just like-

_Oh no… Bahamut, you idiot!_

Immediately, Bahamut went back to focusing on raising Wyvern. Yes…he did so even more intently than before. Wyvern was going to have to become radically stronger right this minute…because their time to face Griever had come a lot sooner than expected, and now every moment wasted was going to bring Odin, Leviathan, and Ogopogo a step closer to death.

* * *

Phoenix touched down, and immediately spilled out five more citizens. As expected, they were all rather fearful and nervous about the whole arrangement, but they were doing as they were told. Once down on the ground, Palad immediately gestured to them in their native language and began to beckon them on to an already enlarging group of some one hundred humans. 

The place they had selected was on an elevated piece of land, yet was still low enough in the forest to remain obscured. The forest was thick overhead, and would shield them from elements as well as enemy eyes. The people were clamoring at the moment, confused and scared as to what was going on. But their shock of seeing Starlet and Phoenix was keeping them in check for a moment, and Palad was strong and decisive now to lead them on. He arranged them in neat areas, and quickly arranged for a distribution of what hides they did have to the sicker and more vulnerable people. In the center, a rather high blazing fire was going, and he kept people huddled there and struggled to debunk as many Griever myths as he could.

Phoenix examined the area and exhaled. That was the third village they had cleared out. They still had a lot more to go, but the area was starting to empty. They'd have to fly a few more miles before seeing more. Phoenix turned her head to Starlet nearby. "Were there any stragglers?" She asked.

Much to Phoenix's puzzlement, Starlet wasn't paying attention. Instead, her look was steady and focused. She was looking to the north again, and her eyes were wide as with a sudden realization. She didn't move a muscle. She seemed to have forgotten all about the humans. Phoenix stood and stared confused for a few more moments, but then turned her head and addressed her sister.

"Starlet?"

"It was a trap." Starlet suddenly announced, her voice cold and quiet. "It's not him. It's a trick."

Phoenix blinked. "Uh, Starlet? What are you talking about?"

Starlet continued to stare for a moment. Phoenix looked, and saw that her muscles seemed to tighten and her throat swallowed. She stared only a moment longer, but then suddenly spoke to the firebird a firm, dedicated statement.

"You'll have to watch the others. I must go."

Phoenix was about to protest…but before she could, Starlet vanished into thin air.

* * *

"You…it was you all along." Odin spoke, nearly sneering at Crusader. 

"Yes, me." Crusader simply answered. He former kind features had vanished. Now, she glared wickedly at them all with a cruel smile. It was as if she had turned into a completely different person, one insidious and wicked.

"That's the real reason you imprisoned Bahamut and Wyvern." Odin responded. "You didn't want them getting stronger. You didn't want them interfering with you again."

"I do believe you're catching on, Odin." Crusader cooed back.

"But…but that doesn't make any sense!" Leviathan yelped. "You…you could have killed us at any time then!"

"Yes, I could have." Crusader answered, and then formed a small frown. "Yet I made the error of thinking that you espers would behave. I thought you could follow a simple rule. I thought you would be content with paradise. But oh no…not you. You're as meddling as those humans were when I had to take them over. But at least they learned to bow and respect power. Not so with you."

"You…you cared for u-u-us…" Ogopogo stammered. "I…I thought you…l-l-loved us…"

That only made Crusader frown more. "Yes…I _did_ care for you. I _did_ love you. And all I asked in return was for you to obey me. Then I would have left you in peace, the same as I leave the humans in peace when they do as I say. But you were intent on continuing to jab your noses where they didn't belong. I tried forgiving you. I tried being kind to you. But my leniency only made you all the more ungrateful and unruly. Honestly, Leviathan…" Her tone changed a little here. "I knew I'd one day have to correct Bahamut and Wyvern most harshly…that fool Wyvern corrupted Bahamut though he loved me more than the rest of you ever could. I even knew Odin would one day become a thorn in my side. But not you, Leviathan and Ogopogo… You decided to betray me too, it seems."

"That's the real reason you didn't want us coming into this world." Odin growled. He now looked more betrayed than scared. "There was no evil here besides you. You didn't want us ever getting in your way. The humans are harmless."

Crusader merely smiled at this. "Still failing to use your brain, Odin. That was always one of your low points. No…humans most certainly _do_ contain evil within them. Great potential for evil at that. You should have seen this world before I arrived…how unruly and savage they were. Mindless animals…slovenly beasts ruled by their lusts and passions… If you even began to know what they were capable of you'd vomit…as I did.

"Yes, I imposed harsh controls on them. That was after I bent them to my will, broke them with the only thing they understood…power. And once I had controls in place they quickly became more managable. And that is how they must remain. You have no idea what they're capable of…what evil they can unleash. They are an intelligent and reasoning species…but all their intelligence is directed toward making them the masters of all around them. They fear anything and everything they don't have control over. That fear turns to hate unless it is constantly kept in check. Their little minds are always working to subvert anything and everything around them. They're a race of monsters. Yet for some reason I felt they were worthy of life, so I sustained them in their isolated pockets. If they weren't constantly surpressed and put down, they'd soon rise to levels unprecedented by your wildest dreams. And eventually, they would grow to hate you too as well, for you too are something stronger than them."

Now, it was Leviathan's turn to frown. "I don't believe you." He scowled. "Palad would never do that, and they're capable of great good as well. The only person I see fearing anything and everything that he or she doesn't have control over is you. You're the only one subverting everything. And did any of these so-called checks involve creating those monstrous Four Fiends and letting them torture and murder humans at will?"

"You sounded like a lunatic just now, doting and drooling all over that Crystal." Odin added. "You've gone mad with power. Any decency or goodness I ever saw in you is gone."

Crusader snorted. "I wouldn't expect ones with such underdeveloped, inferior minds to understand. Mere children dare to lecture me on good and evil, when they barely have any knowledge of their own existance let alone anything else. You have indeed become ungrateful brats." Crusader paused for a moment afterward, but then smiled again. For a moment, her fairness and good cheer returned…but it was a sickening facsimile of what she once was, now that they knew the truth.

"But why dwell on that? Come, children…I'll forgive you this affront yet again. You may have killed my Four Fiends, beings I struggled for weeks to evoke from the dark side of the Crystal…but why worry? Standing before me are my children…stronger and better than they were. Let us forget the past. Let us move on to a future together. We can rule the humans ourselves now. In this world are more wonders and delights than Ultima Nexus could ever offer. Here you may do as you please and dwell in areas more large and magnificent than anything you've ever dreamed. Why settle for the admiration of one human, when all could worship you? And behold! Behind us dwells the Crystal…filled with more delights and wonders than any human shall ever grant you. Why die here, when you can drink of its delights with me forever? Join me again, my children…and you will again receive my love as well as the love of the Crystal's. We can forget about your disobedience and have a happy existence together as the rulers of this world."

Crusader looked delighted, eyes filled with happiness and the offer. However, the espers, scared as they were, couldn't think of anything more ridiculous.

"Keep your drooling obsession with that rock to yourself." Odin sneered. "As for you, I couldn't care less about 'receiving your love'. You're more disgusting to me now than defecation."

"I…I could never look at you the same way again…not after you've done this to yourself." Ogopogo stammered.

"I can't let you hurt Palad or his people anymore." Leviathan insisted. "I'll…I'll fight you even."

This only made Crusader smile innocently. "You'd really do that, Leviathan? You all would? You'd really fight your matron? Your mother?"

"I don't have a mother." Odin snapped. "All I have is some monster who wouldn't have thought twice about me and my brothers and sisters being ripped to shreds by a quartet of horrors."

"After all you've done…I…I can't love you anymore." Ogopogo managed to choke out in fear.

"_My_ mother taught me what it was to love unconditionally. And that's how I feel now about the humans. I knew my mother. I trusted my mother. I loved my mother. But you're not my mother. You're only her body possessed by some madness."

Crusader's smile faded. She stared at them long and hard, and they stared back. There was no wavering among them. Even Ogopogo refused to crumble now. None of them would be begging for mercy or going back to her. She had lost them. But she no longer cared. Long ago, she had ceased caring about them. She smiled again.

"So be it. That was your last chance for mercy. Now you will receive none, no matter how much you beg and sob by the time I'm done with you. You three may think yourselves something special for beating Tiamat, but you must be well aware that Tiamat was nothing compared to me." Crusader's smile then faded to a frown. "In truth, I'm glad that I get to end it with you. You all would only cause me trouble in the future. Destroying my Four Fiends only makes me angrier. I will teach you all the true meaning of pain. I'll crush you all like the worthless bugs you are." She paused a moment, but then smiled again. She crossed her arms simply in front of her and then beamed at them.

"But in case any of you are entertaining any ridiculous, delusional, heroic notions of being able to defeat me, I'll go ahead and let you make the first move and prove to you the futility of your efforts."

Odin frowned in response. Ogopogo swallowed yet again and began to cringe and cower, obviously regretting his semi-bravery. As for Odin, he yanked out Zantetsuken, and no doubt began to think about scaring Crusader to attempt his instant death attack once more. But before he could, Leviathan called out to them both with his mind.

_Odin, I know how bad you are on taking advice, but listen to me. We'll have to try a strategy to make this work. She's too strong to try a head on attack. Here's what I'm going to do. Ogopogo, you and me will use the Aqua-ject at her at once. She'll probably try to dodge it, and if she does, Odin, wait for her to pop in right in the air as she leaps over it, then hit her with everything you got. Then we'll move in and pile on her as much as we can. Got it?_

Odin made no inclination that he had heard. He merely stood still and straight. However, he didn't attack right away, and Leviathan took that as a yes. As for Ogopogo, he meekly nodded in agreement. Then, all three espers turned to the monster before them. Crusader merely smiled and stared back calmly. There was nothing for a moment…but then in a flash the fight began.

"Aqua-ject!"

Immediately, both brothers sounded their attacks as one, and spat out two large blades of water straight at Crusader. Odin continued to hold back, and watched as they shot out from their mouths and headed straight for Crusader. She merely smiled, unchanging and not even looking away. At the last moment, without looking away, she calmly leapt into the air and let the water blades sail harmlessly under her.

Odin didn't waste a moment. Giving a war cry, he held Zantetsuken over his head and leapt straight at Crusader. His new power enabled him to soar over the floor and close the distance between the two of them in an instant. At last he was in range, and quickly swung his blade at the powerful being…

Only to hit air. Odin blinked in shock as he saw himself staring at nothing, but his shock was nothing compared to Leviathan's and Ogopogo's, who now stared in terror at Crusader. Moving so fast she had been only a blur, the former matron now calmly stood just in front of Odin, arms crossed and looking totally unmiffed…still staring with those wicked eyes.

Leviathan held back in terror a moment longer, but then controlled his fear and darted forward. Ogopogo held too, but then, crying out to embolden himself, he dashed forward as well. Both serpents rushed forward until they were right before Crusader, and then Leviathan struck with his pointed beak for her head, rather like a deadly snake. Unfortunately, Crusader's head suddenly was tilted at one angle, moving faster than Leviathan could see, and his blow hit only air. Quickly, he pulled back and aimed at her other side, but in a flash her head was now crooked the opposite way. Ogopogo sniveled, but then tried to strike wildly at Crusader as well, but she dodged that too. Odin, having turned around and seen what was going on, grit his teeth and began to wildly slash at Crusader's body as well. She never lost her smile as she easily dodged him as well. The three espers madly cut at her, struggling to try and land a single blow. But they hit nothing. She was too fast and powerful.

At last, they all leapt back. They were sweating now, and gaping in terror at Crusader. She hadn't even lost her focus. She calmly stood there, arms crossed, and waited for them for a few moments.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already." She calmly addressed. "I'm not bothering to strike back yet because I know a single blow would kill you. However…I guess I could do something…"

With that, Crusader suddenly raised a hand simply and pointed a finger at Leviathan. The esper's eyes bulged. Fear sank into his heart. He already felt a terrible power being summoned within her. However, she didn't strain at all when she simply said, "Mort-kelvin."

Immediately, a burst of violet/red light erupted from the end of Crusader's hand and shot like a bolt to Leviathan. Fortunately, the esper's speed had increased so much. He quickly dodged out of the way. Yet the attack still moved like a shot, and he couldn't get totally free in time. The burning hot beam of light struck the end of his tail…and within a flash cut right through in a mess of blood, bone and sinew. Leviathan's face filled with agony, and abruptly the esper cried out in pain. He wheeled around and looked to his wound, only to see that a good six inches of his tail now sat on the floor in a bloody pool, and that a stump was now sitting on the end of his body. Sweat from strain poured down his face, and the esper fell on his back and began to writhe.

Crusader merely grinned and chuckled darkly at his pain. "In so much misery over that? That was my weakest ability. I was even holding back on it. That's only the beginning, Leviathan. I'm going to slice you into sections piece by piece."

The other espers stared in shock at the severity of the injury as well as its speed and brutality. Leviathan continued to twist and contort on the ground for a moment. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, seeming to focus and strain. Gradually, he ceased to writhe, but his face was still contorted and strained. He held his severed tail out straight, but only bulged and grit his teeth more. After a moment, all present, including Crusader, began to realize he was doing something. Leviathan didn't explain, just continued to push. As he did…the blood on the end of his tail suddenly dried up. The scales on the skin around him extended and began to move over the wound, covering it and closing it up. He kept focusing, and soon it did close it up, and afterward it began to bulge. It grew into a dome shape, but then began to push out and lengthen. It kept extending outward, and new ridge scales sprouted up from it as it became more long and flexible. At last, Leviathan exhaled, and panted heavily as he relaxed. Sitting on the end of his body was a new length of tail to replace the old one.

Ogopogo gaped in shock. "Wow, Leviathan…that's amazing!"

Leviathan panted, but managed to nod slowly. "Yeah…in my newest addition of strength…I managed to learn how to regenerate small injuries… Regrowing my tail is easy now."

"Hmph." Crusader simply addressed, although no longer smiling. "Something to make your pitiful life last a few more minutes. That nearly tired you out. Soon you'll not be able to do that anymore."

Leviathan looked to Crusader, but said nothing. As she was talking to them, Odin was already raising his sword over his head and was coming up behind her, moving totally silently as he did so. Leviathan immediately controlled himself, struggling not to signal his presence. But just as he was about to bring his blade down to strike her, Crusader raised a hand and pointed a finger over her shoulder behind her. "Giga-volt."

The ceiling suddenly shone brightly as a gigantic bolt of electricity, far stronger than the one that Tiamat had made, shot out from the sky and struck Odin hard. The air crackled horribly and Leviathan felt his skin prickle from the power. But worst of all was Odin, who now gleamed more brightly than anything else in the room. He went rigid as stone, spreading his body out, and screaming in agony as the electricity went through him, again penetrating his armor and burning him inside and out. The power was so strong this time that pieces of his armor literally broke off and were thrown violently across the room. Zantetsuken itself suddenly leapt out of his grasp, and both Leviathan and Ogopogo had to dodge before it flew across the room and embedded itself in the stone wall near the entrance. Odin opened his mouth to cry out, only to have more electricity shoot from there. At last, his own body went flying as the electricity cut off, and he sailed backward through the air, past the Crystal, and smashed against the stone wall on the opposite side of the room. He immediately crumpled to the ground in a blackened, sizzling, smoldering mass…and moved no more.

Leviathan and Ogopogo gaped at the sight, terrified at how quickly and easily Crusader had summoned such an attack. It hadn't taken anything out of her either. She snorted a bit, and turned her head slightly over her shoulder to call behind her. "I guess Tiamat never took my advice and used lightning on you in the fight…or at least you didn't realize how ridiculously easy it is to defeat you in your armor when he did. That's the last lesson you'll ever learn, Odin."

Leviathan and Ogopogo both began to tremble. The latter began to slink back, and Leviathan gaped at Crusader in fear. Within seconds, they had already been made totally worthless against her. Even with their new power, they were just toys for Crusader to play with.

The being turned back to them, glaring at them so wickedly they both shrank back. "This is ridiculously simple." She chided. "I can't believe the Four Fiends had any trouble with you whatsoever. This is almost insulting that I have to waste my energy killing you." The monster paused for a moment, looking at both of them, then shrugged, and pointed her hand at them again, this time splitting her fingers apart and aiming a tip at both of them. "Oh well…"

Leviathan and Ogopogo went cold. Leviathan shrank back and trembled, staring in terror. In his mind, he screamed at himself to do another Aqua-ject. But he knew it would do no good, and he was too scared to concentrate on it. As for Ogopogo, the last of his bravery vanished. He turned and began to bolt for it. Crusader grinned wickedly.

However, at that moment, Crusader's smile faded a bit and she raised her head. As for Ogopogo, he halted and stared at the exit. Leviathan, puzzled by all this, turned to see what was going on…and was very surprised at the sight. It was impossible for that person to be there. No one was faster than Slepnir, and she couldn't even fly! But somehow, she stood there, framing the doorway and looking in with a mixture of horror and surprise at all that was going on.

Somehow…Starlet was now standing there and looking in on them all.

Her eyes filled with fear as she glared at Crusader. "Mother…?"

* * *

_Alright…record time!_

Bahamut's urgency had paid off. He had managed to awaken Wyvern's Pyron earlier than expected, and Wyvern's power had risen accordingly. He removed his hands from his brother's head and leaned back. Wyvern immediately opened his eyes afterward, and he stared out blankly in amazement for a moment. But then, he quickly leapt to his feet, and looked down at his body. His eyes were wide with delight and wonder, looking at his own new power. Bahamut opened his own eyes and exhaled, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. It had been a rush job, but he was glad that it had worked. Wyvern's new power made his old look like nothing.

"This…this power…" Wyvern marveled, looking at himself. "I…I had no idea the power of the Pyron."

"And the power of your Pyron should be stronger than Tiamat's." Bahamut answered, beginning to rise to his own feet slowly.

Wyvern's face slowly turned into a beaming smile. He looked up into the sky, raising fists to his sides and spreading his wings wide. "My strength…it's unbelievable! I'm stronger than any of the Fiends now! I'm even stronger than you, Bahamut!"

"Well, you did work out a lot." Bahamut calmly responded. "Not only that, but I haven't eaten anything in six months. I'm starved and I had to fight on an empty stomach earlier. What I need to do-"

Quite suddenly, Wyvern flew into the air. He laughed out loud as he did so, marveling in his new abilities. He spun through the air freely, twisting and turning with delight. He swung his fists and legs in the air, rejoicing in his new strength. To top it all off, he generated a Pyrin and spat it out into the air. This part, Bahamut thought, was a little much, and he soon had to recoil a bit to avoid the potential damage. Sure enough, when it detonated in the air, the blast was so powerful and massive that Bahamut had to shrink away from the heat and the wind. Even the clouds farther overhead were pushed back by the force when it went off. The thunder sounded for miles around.

"Ha-ha!" Wyvern cheered in triumph. "That wasn't even a Pyron, but it would have been more than enough to blow old Tiamat's Pyron away! I'm invincible now! I'm the strongest in the world! Griever couldn't beat me if his miserable life depended on it!"

Bahamut, now sweating a little at Wyvern's liberal use of his new power, managed to uneasily rise back up again. "I wouldn't be too sure about that… At any rate, we'll need that power right now. I don't know if you sensed this, but Griever tricked us. He's still with the Crystal, and he's waiting for us to come attack. I'm running on empty here, so first I'm going to run back to Ultima Nexus and grab some food, then we'll both head to his lair and-"

"Take your time, Bahamut!" Wyvern cheered, looking away from him as if he was now no consequence and looking ahead up north. "Prepare the victory feast, if you like! I'll bring Griever's head back to post over our cave entrance as a trophy! Look out, G! Here I come to get you!"

"Wyvern!" Bahamut protested, his face turning to anxiety at Wyvern's latest noise. But Wyvern no longer paid any attention to him. Immediately, using his newfound speed, he took off like a shot. His speed was much faster than Bahamut's now, and it took only a few seconds before he vanished into a black speck on the horizon. Then he vanished all together, and all of his laughing and self-praise went with him. Bahamut was left alone in the middle of the battlefield, standing dumbfounded.

After a moment, the esper frowned and groaned in Wyvern's direction. Take Griever together, he said… That was a laugh. He should have known Wyvern well enough by now to know he was hotheaded enough to go off on his own. Bahamut knew that Wyvern had a thing for power ever since the day his began to awaken. He loved marveling in his own strength ever since then, always boasting about how strong he was and how strong he'd become. His new power only made him go more scatterbrained and not use his common sense. But now…a new thought entered his head. He had believed Wyvern when he had spoken about doing this together, about this being their union as brothers. That was why he did this in the first place. Was Wyvern really intending this, and then had gone absent minded when he had his new power?

…Or had he been planning it the whole time, using Bahamut as a means to an end?

Immediately, Bahamut banished the thought, and scolded himself for thinking it. Wyvern was his brother, nearly his twin, and his best friend. They had been through too much for that to be the case. And, if anything, this might actually work out to their advantage. Wyvern should have gone along with them from the start anyway. He had learned the Pyron much sooner than expected. Now, he was the best bet to hold Griever off until Bahamut returned. His power was more than substantial enough to at least keep him at bay for a little while…so long as Jadea had been wrong about him being able to raise his power…

There was no time to dwell on that. Pessimism was ill-afforded at the present. He had to leave. Immediately, Bahamut turned, unfurled his wings, and then took off back into the sky himself. He set a course for Ultima Nexus as fast as he could. And if Crusader tried to stop him this time…unfortunately he would not give her the time of day.

This would be theirdeadliest battle yet.

* * *

To be continued... 


	16. Righteous Anger

There was a pause in the Crystal chamber as Starlet stared dumbly at Crusader, her mouth hanging open. Crusader didn't change much, although she lowered her hands for a moment. Ogopogo merely sat there and stared at her. But Leviathan took the opportunity to act. Moving quickly, and keeping his eyes on Crusader for signs of movement, he quickly went around the perimeter of the room and toward the fallen Odin. Odin continued to smoke and not move as he did so, and he feared greatly for him. But he also kept his gaze fixed on the developing situation, wanting to know what was going on next.

At last, Leviathan reached him. He had moved fast, and if every second wasn't lasting an eternity to him, he would have known he was there in no time. Odin was laying face-down in a crumpled heap on the floor, still smoking from the attack that had been done to him. Leviathan's heart raced with fear as he closed in on him, and finally reached him. He bent his head and addressed the warrior esper.

"Odin…" He spoke, his voice fearful and low.

However, Leviathan was most surprised to see Odin almost immediately raise his head off the ground. It continued to smoke, but he managed to put his arms underneath him as he rose and propped his head up. He grunted a bit through his blackened face at the present situation. "What a nuisance…falling for the same trick twice…" He grumbled aloud.

"Odin…!" Leviathan piped, snapping his head back in amazement and looking shocked. "You're…you're alright! I thought Crusader killed you!"

Odin grunted again, and winced a bit in indication that he was sore. He struggled to push himself up on all fours, at least on his knees. "Lightning…is still the bane of my existence…" He explained slowly. "But with my new power, it will take more than a stronger version of Tiamat's attack to do me in. Mind you…" He grunted yet again. "…It still hurt, and had I been in my old state of power it definitely would have killed me…but I think I can still fight."

"Mother…" Starlet announced, drawing the room's attention back to her. She still stared at Crusader in confusion.

After a moment, Crusader's looks suddenly softened, and a glimmer of who she used to be returned. "Daughter." She announced simply. "My dear...you survived the Four Fiends as well…"

Odin didn't wait for another word of exchange. He immediately shot up to his feet, albeit weakly, and cried out to Starlet. "You can't listen to her, Starlet!" He boomed. "She's Griever! She's always been Griever! She tricked us all!"

Starlet turned to Odin and stared at him a look of horror. Evidently, she must have known it. She had begun to feel the evil power long before coming there. But still, seeing that it was Crusader, seeing that she was the one behind it all…that was too much for her to bear. She had always had the closest relationship with their matron. She slowly began to shake her head at Odin in denial. As she did, tears began to fill her eyes. "No…you're lying…" She slowly uttered. Then, face more tight she spat out louder, "You're lying!"

"It's true, Starlet!" Leviathan insisted. "Look at your feet! Look at what she did to me! My old tail's still laying there! Look at Odin! She did this to him to! She's the one who lied to us! She sent the Four Fiends to kill us!"

Starlet continued to shake her head no…but at the same time she couldn't deny it. Her eyes wandered to the floor, and sure enough a piece of Leviathan's tail lay there. And Odin looked fried once again as with lightning like before. A part of her brain could have denied it…said she was seeing an illusion and nothing more…that the real Griever was actually one of her family members trying to trick her. But she knew that she sensed only one evil force in the room…and it was so potent that she knew it was standing right in front of her. Yet she still couldn't believe it. Not someone so sweet and loving as Crusader… She slowly looked up to her old matron and addressed her.

"It's not true…" She spoke again. "Tell me…tell me, Crusader…mother… Tell me they're lying. I'll believe you, whatever you say."

Crusader smiled even more softly than before as she stood there. When she spoke, her voice was plain and smooth as always…and yet her words were death.

"Starlet…my dear…you've always been my most loving child. You've grown into a fine young woman. And as a fine young woman…between two mature ladies as ourselves…I know you can bear the truth. You're strong-willed. I know it…so don't disappoint me by not being strong now. My dear…it is time to put away childish things and forget about the past. Today, you must think of your future. You must think of _our_ future. Your brothers…they made the foolish, wrong choice. They weren't wise…not like you. They chose death when the world lay theirs for the taking. But I know you, Starlet…you are faithful. You won't do the same."

Starlet turned white as a sheet. The words rang cold in her heart. "No…mother…you couldn't."

"My child…" Crusader went on, extending a hand out to her. "Take my hand. Be brave, and continue to show the love for me you always did. We need never be apart again. From now on, you can be at my side…the princess of this world…a title worthy of your power and beauty. Forget these ungrateful siblings of yours around you. Seize your destiny. The world is yours now. Cement our bond as mother and child. Help me to do away with them…and there can be only us together forever. The power of the Crystal can be ours alone. Show your loyalty…show your quality. Take my hand, my daughter…" She extended the hand out farther to her, urging her to take it.

Leviathan panicked for a moment. Starlet would be little trouble to handle, but he almost couldn't bear to do it. Why? …He honestly didn't know. The thought of him laying a finger on her to do evil disturbed him. And though he feared Starlet would take Crusader on her offer, he feared more how much it would hurt her to know the truth about their matron. He nervously waited, fearing what choice she would make. He and the others watched Starlet as she trembled uncertainly. They watched as she looked at the hand before her and breathed slowly, echoing through the room. They held their breath…as she began to extend her hand out to Crusader's…as Crusader's face lit up in delight…

…But then, she pulled her hand back.

"…No…" She half-whispered. "No…no, it's…it's not right…"

"My child…" Crusader called gently.

But Starlet shook her head now. "No…this can't be true…it just can't. My mother…she'd never do this evil…" Abruptly, Starlet turned up and looked to Crusader. Her eyes were beginning to release tears now, and her stare was pleading with her. "Crusader…matron…this isn't you. It…it must be Griever. He's controlling you or something. He's put some spell of madness on you or something. Remember…remember who you really are… You love us. You care about us. You'd never hurt us…"

Leviathan felt a thorn in his stomach, realizing that Starlet was only deluding herself and that this was hurting her so much. But Crusader only added to it. Her face went vivid with rage, and she shot her hand back and lashed out at Starlet. Her voice was so wicked and loud that Starlet recoiled in fear from her, seeing Crusader for the monster she truly was…

"How _dare_ you insult me like that! How dare you think I could be manipulated, out of my mind, that I wasn't always perfectly in control!" She hissed. "You silly, stupid girl! I am perfection! I am a god! You dare to degrade me by even suggesting a thing, that my mind could somehow be imperfect!"

Starlet's lip quivered. Her eyes shimmered as tears continued to roll down. She nearly dropped to her knees, begging with the monstrosity. "It can't be…" She spoke, both to herself and Crusader. "You…you have far too much love in you…to be capable of such wickedness…"

"'Oh, you have far too much love in you to be capable of such wickedness'!" Crusader mocked bitterly, impersonating Starlet and filling the esper with more fear and horror. Leviathan wanted to rip Crusader's head off right there for her evil against Starlet, yet he continued to hold back. "Stop blubbering, you fool! Here I thought you were mature enough to handle adult things…and you're whining like a toddler! Stop groveling and join me…or you'll suffer and die just like your stupid brothers!"

Crusader's last words echoed throughout the chamber. She continued to stand there and fume. The other espers stared at the scene, but did nothing. Starlet, still dripping tears, gasped one last time before bowing her head against her chest. There, Leviathan's heart ached to hear her continuing to cry for a few moments, softly and slowly. Crusader scowled at her, waiting for her to make her choice. After a few moments, however, Starlet raised a hand to her eyes and wiped them clear. She sniffled, but then stopped crying and began to smooth out again. After a moment longer…Leviathan at last heard a faint word.

"…I hate you."

To that, Crusader looked puzzled, and turned her head to Starlet. "What?"

"…I hate you." Starlet repeated, a little louder, after a pause.

Crusader frowned. "I know I didn't just hear what I thought I-"

"IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU!"

Starlet screamed this as she suddenly shot back up to her feet. Her face was red with anger now, and she glared at Crusader hatefully. Tears were still in her eyes, but she was livid with rage now. Crusader actually stepped back at her sound.

"You…you…I don't even know what to call you!" She screamed. "You never loved us! You never cared about us! You never loved anything! All you've done is hurt people! All you've _ever_ done is hurt people! You made those monsters to kill the humans! You've tortured innocent children! You ordered the Fiends to kill us all! You beat Bahamut and Wyvern for trying to stop you! And you spat any love we had for you back in our faces! I would have done _anything_ for you! I thought you cared about me…but all you ever cared was that I not get in your way! I loved you unconditionally and you tore my heart to pieces! All you care about is yourself! And you dare to call yourself my mother! You…you're…you're just a greedy…miserable…horrible old _witch_!"

That last word hung in the air and echoed throughout the chamber. Leviathan stared hard at Starlet. She was hurt, yes…but she was now turning her sadness into righteous anger. She wasn't going to let Crusader's wound stop her, but strengthen her resolve to stop her. Leviathan admired her even more. She was in pain…but she was indeed a strong woman. She was stronger than what Crusader said she was…and she was stronger by far than Crusader.

But as for the monster, she merely crossed her arms again, kept a plain face, and spoke back calmly. "Finished?" She asked. "Finished with your babbling, brainless expression of primordial emotion, as if it meant something? You're acting just like the humans did…they always thought making these bold little speeches actually made their lives have any meaning before I annihilated them with a wave of my hand. You're as meaningless as they are, Starlet. All of you are. _I_ am the god here, and I am the only one who truly matters in any scheme of things on any scale. And so…if you are quite finished…I will end your childish life."

Starlet continued to fume and pause for a moment, glaring right back at Crusader's simple, confident stare. She didn't move for a moment. But then, when she did break, she immediately turned and marched boldly over to the wall…straight for Zantetsuken. When she got there, she grasped the hilt, and with a firm pull yanked the blade out of the wall. It was heavy, and immediately her arms fell to the ground along with the blade. Crusader chuckled at her, but Starlet ignored her. Instead, giving a grunt and strain, she raised the blade with both hands and managed to hold it in front of her. It was a struggle, but she pointed it at Crusader and looked determined.

"I'm warning you, Crusader." She challenged. "Stop this right now. I'll kill you if I have to."

Crusader bent her head back and bellowed another deep, dark laugh. This one was more merry than before, for now she truly was amused. Her horrible chatter echoed through the chamber for a few moments, before she finally lowered an amused face to Starlet. "If you could only truly know how ridiculous you both sound and look." She confidently answered. "Your brothers are much mightier than you, Starlet, and they're a joke to me. And you…pathetic as you are…barely holding that sword…think you can beat me?"

"I'm warning you!" Starlet shot back. "I didn't do this before…I didn't think I could control it and I didn't have a sword…and I don't think I can control it now either! But if I have to kill you…even if my brothers get in the way…I will! Lich wasn't the only one who could transform!"

Ogopogo, Leviathan, and Odin all raised eyebrows at this. Ogopogo, still close to the thick of things, immediately slinked away against the wall. But Leviathan was overwhelmed. When and where had Starlet learned how to transform? And what did she mean by it? Was this the secret she was holding back all these months? Now, the espers were on the edge of their seats. But Crusader was totally unmiffed.

"You're much weaker than Lich, obviously…and his transformation only doubled his strength. You really think some little change you can make to yourself with help?"

"I'm serious!" Starlet yelled. "I'll really do it! Stop this now!"

Crusader merely crossed her arms again and smiled. "Go ahead. See where it gets you."

Starlet swallowed stiffly. She trembled a moment. One would think it would be at Crusader's confidence…but Leviathan knew better. She was afraid of her own power. The female esper exhaled sharply, and licked her lips nervously.

"Alright…" She uttered…and then added, "I'm sorry."

Starlet immediately planted her feet against the ground and closed her eyes. Her face went tight and her muscles locked and stiffened. For a moment afterward…nothing happened. But then, all at once, the ground began to shake a little. It quickly increased, and became a full blown tremor. It reverberated throughout the entire cave, and soon small bits of dust began to fall from the ceiling. The espers marveled at this and stared at Starlet, but Crusader was unaffected. She continued to smile at her and waited. Starlet began to sweat. Beads formed on he brow and began to roll down her skin. She kept straining, and began to make a grunting noise. Heat began to wave all around her body, and the trembling continued to increase. Her teeth showed, and they were grit ferociously. Odin and Leviathan blinked in surprise, looking at what was going on…looking at the effects she was having…

But that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Abruptly, Starlet's two hands parted as the tremor suddenly turned more violent. More heat began to wave off of her, and she seemed to begin to glow a white color. But as her hands parted…she no longer was holding Zantetsuken with one hand…_but had two Zantetsukens in either hand._ Odin gaped in shock at the sight. But that was nothing. Abruptly, Starlet began to grunt and strain, making a sound like she was in pain. As she did…her voice grew deeper…stronger…and a sound like ripping flesh began to be heard. Most suddenly, it appeared that her two arms ripped in half and went down on her body. Leviathan blinked in shock, and stared at the sight…only to find something even more amazing. Starlet now had four arms…and each one had a Zantetsuken in it.

"No way…" Ogopogo spoke.

"Impossible…" Odin echoed.

But Starlet wasn't done. She suddenly screamed out…and as she did her voice began to grow deep and monstrous. She bent over forward in a hunching position…as her muscles suddenly began to grow dramatically. All over her body, they began to swell and enlarge. Her bones also lengthened, and she began to grow taller. In no time at all, she was as tall as Crusader…and then continued to get bigger to reach giant size. Her dress ripped and formed only a loose, ragged cloth tunic about her body as she continued to grow bigger. But her face was the worse. As the espers stared in wonder, a great deal of her hair suddenly fell out and toppled to the ground. In the heat she carried around her, it burst into flame as it did so, beginning to fill the chamber with foul smoke. Two face-sized bald spots were now around her ever-growing head. Much to Leviathan's amazement…and disgust…he saw two faces began to slowly push their way out of her skull in those spots…almost like birds pushing free of eggs. Both of them were dark and fearsome. One quickly began to turn bright red, and a horrible scowl was painted across it. It opened its eyes, and blazing red looks were in them. On the other side, the face turned a dark blue. This one smiled in a large, merry expression…although it was so monstrous and grotesque it was hardly humorous…and its eyes burned blue. Starlet kept her own face, although it grew bigger and bigger along with her body.

At last, she exhaled…her voice now the sound of a giant hulk. To Leviathan's displeasure, all three faces sighed as one. They worked independently, however. The blue one looked around menacingly, the red one cracked its jaw, while Starlet's own calmly looked up and looked down on Crusader. She stood ten feet tall now, and she brandished two of her swords while rotating two of her arms. The quaking slowly stopped, and the heat vanished, but Starlet still seemed to have a white aura about her. Crusader's eyebrows were raised a little. But other than that she didn't look scared.

_"You forced her to unleash me."_ All three heads spoke as one, deep and booming at Crusader. _"I am the embodiment of Starlet's righteous anger. No longer am I Starlet. I am Ashura."_

The thing's voice echoed throughout the chamber even more loudly than Crusader's had. It certainly boasted considerable strong looks. The espers stared at it, waiting for its first move. Crusader, however, was calm as ever.

"Ashura, eh?" Crusader addressed. "Well, Ashura, you're as foolish as Odin. You'll easily be felled with a single simple spell now that you have four swords." The villian pointed a finger at the new arrival. "Giga-volt."

As before, a giant bolt of electricity lit up the room as it formed from nowhere, and immediately went down to strike Ashura in one of the swords. But now…something different happened. Ashura, with blindly speed, shot backward in the blink of an eye…so fast that the lightning missed it all together and struck the ground instead. Sparks and pieces of pebble rubble flew up, but no other damage was done. Crusader might have looked intrigued…but didn't have time to. Ashura darted back forward in a moment and smashed one of its elbows into Crusader's face. Much to everyone's shock, especially Crusader's, the monster was ripped right off of her feet for the first time and sent flying like a bird through the air, head first, and smashed into the stone wall in the back of the chamber. Odin and Leviathan, seeing this coming, barely dashed around and out of the way before Crusader connected…not just hitting the wall but hitting it so hard that she crashed into a part of it, and the wall crumbled around her and fell down around on top of her. Right before connecting, Leviathan just managed to catch a glimpse of Crusader's face still frozen in the position of shock as her head remained snapped one way.

Crusader didn't stay down long, however. Immediately, she threw the rubble off as if it was dead leaves, and shot into the air. At first, Leviathan though she was jumping into the air…but soon found out he was wrong. She was levitating, flying under her own power. She ascended into the sky of the chamber, hands down at her sides, and smiling down on Ashura as she rised up. No lasting damage appeared to have been done.

"Well, I misjudged you, Ashura." She confidently addressed. "I guess I'll have to use one of my mid-range attacks on you." With that, still flying in the air, Crusader smacked both of her wrists together and formed an open clamshell with her palms. She aimed it right at Ashura, and spoke calmly her new attack. "Deen."

Immediately, purple light erupted from Crusader's hands. This new attack took a new form. Rings of purple light came forth from her, each one gleaming in a circle that burned and contained heat…almost like a Pyrin fireball. Only these were in ring form, and they shot out in a steady, straight, single-file stream right for Ashura. All together, they formed a line or ray aiming for her. All in the room could feel the heat from this, and sensed its deadly power. But Ashura merely watched it come.

At last, as the attack was about to hit, Ashura quickly squatted, planted her feet, crossed two of her arms in front of her in a guarding motion, and stood still. The Deen attack soon impacted right where her arms were crossed in front of her, blocking right in front of her head. To the amazement of the espers, the rings impacted on her arms, leaving purple light, small eruptions of blazing energy, and smoke pouring up…but no damage whatsoever. Ashura grunted under the attack for a moment…but then suddenly used her gathered strength underneath her legs to propel herself upward, straight for Crusader. As she did, she cried out a roaring war cry, and uncrossed her arms. The sheer force of it not only dissipated the nearest Deen ring, but the shock traveled forward and broke up all of the remaining Deen rings, in effect canceling out the entire attack. Crusader now had time to gape in surprise for a moment at that…right before Ashura smashed the skull of all three faces right into hers, with the full impact of her leap behind it.

Crusader's face turned to agony and pain as it snapped back for a moment, along with her whole body. It seemed another hard blow had been landed. But it lasted only a moment, before her eyes opened again, filled with anger, and her teeth grit. Abruptly, she used her own flying power to throw herself back forward, and this time swung one fist forward and punched Ashura dead in Starlet's face. Now, it was Ashura's turn to express pain, as her body was flipped over from the impact in mid-air so that she went sailing back to the ground head-first. The espers watched, and expected her to land with a heavy impact on the stone ground. But as she sailed back down, moments before landing, Ashura suddenly seemed to recover completely from the blow, flip herself over, crouch, and touch down much more lightly on her feet on the ground. She still slid back from the impact, however, and as she did her feet dug two long trails into the solid stone at her feet. But despite kicking up more stone and debris, she did halt after a moment, and didn't look the slightest bit worse for wear. The espers were duly surprised.

"That's…amazing…" Odin remarked, forgetting that he was once again surpassed for the moment, so long as someone was doing damage to Crusader. "She's actually matched Crusader."

"No…" Leviathan remarked, knowing the true situation through his enhanced powers. "…She's surpassed Crusader."

Ashura paused a moment, but then shot back into the air at Crusader again. In an instant, she was on her, and swung one of her blades right at her head. Crusader quickly ducked in mid air, and launched a kick at Ashura's side. The thing quickly lowered an arm and blocked the blow. Crusader, however, undaunted and speedy, swung a fist at her face next. But the thing had arms to spare, and quickly raised up another to block that hit, while at the same time stabbing forward with another arm. Crusader quickly sidestepped it, but there was no way even her speed could keep track of all Ashura's limbs. No sooner had she dodged than Ashura brought up a muscular leg and smashed it in the side of Crusader's face. The force ripped her right out of the air and sent her flying to the wall. This time, she was so fast that she not only impacted into the wall, but she went right through it. A loud smashing resulted, and large rocks and debris rained down behind her as a cloud of dust rose from the impact. Leviathan, shocked, quickly inched his neck out so he could look into the hole. But he saw nothing but a long rock tunnel, dug in the ground from the impact of Crusader. Far at the end, the gray light of the outdoors shone through, but there was nothing else. There was no sign of the beast.

Ashura landed on the ground and stood straight and tall. She looked around with all six eyes, trying to watch and see where Crusader would strike next. For a moment, there was nothing. But then, in a flash, the ceiling ruptured from overhead, right over Ogopogo. The esper yelped and ran for cover as rocks rained down, but that wasn't the half of it. Another Deen attack had been fired, and now the rings of purple light shot down through the air like an arrow and struck Ashura right in the back. Purple energy exploded behind her, and the thing expressed its first real agony as it arched back and yelled in pain.

Moments later, the Deen attack broke off, and Crusader came rocketing back in like a bird diving for prey. She had formed herself into a humanoid projectile, her feet extended in front of her as she sailed straight for Ashura's back. Ashura herself hunched over in pain, grunting and groaning from the latest blows. But just as Crusader was about to hit, one of her arms sprung to life and swung a Zantetsuken behind her with lightning speed. Crusader's face turned to surprise, and she had to struggle to halt herself to keep from getting her legs chopped off. But despite her speed and strength, the blade still cut a nasty gash right through her armor and into her leg. The monster yelled a horrible cry of pain as it drew back, and Ashura quickly spun around to meet her.

But before Ashura could renew her attack, Crusader flew into a rage. She darted back forward and smashed her own fist across Ashura's face, The blow snapped her head down viciously to the side, and the impact was so hard that the ground shook beneath it. Still pressing, she immediately gave Ashura an uppercut, sending her upper body flying back up again. She then moved to give her an iron palm in the stomach. But as she was trying to, Ashura's head suddenly _rotated_, putting the red, angry face there instead. In a flash, the thing turned its two lower arms upside down, jabbed its blades into the floor, and then raised one to catch Crusader's fist right as it was coming for her. Crusader saw this, and, sneering, she swung her other fist, only to have that caught too. Crusader was soon trapped in Ashura's grasp, and the giant held her tight as it swung its head forward to smash as hard as it could into Crusader's face. The fiend fell back a bit from the power, as Ashura's own blow shook the floor. Yet she recovered quickly and began to pull away, even as Ashura raised her two other blades to do a cross slash. She managed to rip back just as Ashura crossed the Zantetsukens in front of her, but even as she broke free the blades cut into her chest lightly, slicing off sections of her breastplate armor and leaving a bloody X in her chest.

Her face livid with rage, Crusader shot back into the air, extended her palm, swept it back and held a moment, and then swung it forward. "Arc-sect!" She cried, her voice no longer calm. Blue energy immediately gathered around her hands, and as the others watched, the air seemed to condense,mimicing her outstretched fingers. In an instant, it suddenly solidified as a cold snap flashed through the room, and to their horror five giant ice shards had been formed, and each of them now flew from Crusader's hand and straight for Ashura.

The giant grit all three of its teeth, but then darted forward after the attack. One by one, it raised its arms and cleaved the incoming ice-shards in two. One…two…three…four…each time sending ice shavings and particles of water everywhere. But she could only dip to try and dodge the fifth one, and she barely made it. The giant ice crystal still sliced into the edge of her shoulder, and the cold, numbing power was so strong it seemed to actually hang onto Ashura, ripping her backward and making half of her body stumble. But even as it did so, the thing gave a murderous cry. As the ice crystal pulled it, it crouched and leapt once again, and soon sailed straight for Crusader. Part of her body was pulled back, and so she swung the top fist of her other arm, and with all her strength smashed it as hard as she could right into Crusader's stomach. The impact shook dust from the ceiling, and Crusader crumpled around the hand as the air was knocked out of her. Yet not stopping there, Ashura pulled back the arm, continued to let the momentum make her sail forward in the air, went by Crusader, and then formed an elbow and swung back, hitting Crusader in the back of the head as hard as she could. Crying out in agony, Crusader was sent flying to the ground from the power of the hit, face first to the stone floor. And this time, she couldn't pull herself out of it. She landed hard and face first, and as the espers stared in shock, her face was roughly slid against the stone floor to the point of digging it up in her wake. Black shards flew everywhere as her face was roughly scraped against the ground, and her body limply went with it.

Crusader finally came to a halt, but didn't get up right away. Ashura landed, and immediately turned and glared at Crusader. Its heads spun, and Starlet's face once again reappeared. Her lip was bleeding and she had a rapidly swelling black eye, but she continued to stare out at Crusader. Her shoulder bled and her back still burned and sizzled, but it was obvious that it would take much, much more to put her down. She wasn't even sweating.

"This is unbelievable…" Odin remarked. "I didn't think two such powers existed."

"It's a miracle." Leviathan added. "Crusader's tough, but Ashura's still outclassing her. In the end, she's the one who's going to come out on top."

Crusader finally began to rise. Her movements were slower now. She was dirty, her armor was chopped up, and blood was still dripping from her wounds. Her hair was messy, dusty, and disshelved, and she had to roughly brush it out of her face to smooth it. As she got up and turned around to face Ashura, her face frowning and dark, the espers saw that blood had come out of her nose and was smeared across her mouth and chin. She spat up more on the ground, and raised a hand to wipe grime and black dirt from the scrapes across her face.

_"You must see now."_ Ashura addressed. _"The power of my anger is horrific. Somehow I'm managing to control it at this time, but already it thirsts for more battle. I can't afford to give you another chance. You must surrender now or perish."_

Crusader didn't show the slightest fear. She stared darkly back, her eyes blazing with anger and hate yet the rest of her calm and collected. The espers watched and waited. Leviathan was glad Ashura was doing so well. He began to sense the division in her power and Crusader's. Ashura was slowly widening the gap. However, fear was also in him…for that is also what Bahamut did before he blew Tiamat away. He was earnest to see Crusader's reaction to these new events, and fearful that she wasn't showing any looks of fear herself.

Crusader finally cracked a smile. "You should have been my princess, Starlet…Ashura…whatever you wish to call yourself now." She cooed. "I can see now your strength is more than worthy of placing you at a status beyond the Four Fiends of the Elements. I am surprised you have become this strong. I see now…it wasn't Odin who killed Tiamat, it was you. And no doubt it was so easy that his face was frozen in horror to the very last." Crusader paused a moment, and then chuckled a bit. She lowered her eyes menacingly, and the air grew cold. Leviathan felt fear at her confidence and her malice.

"And yet…your fight is over now. You haven't the slightest possible chance of defeating me."

To this, everyone, including Ashura, raised an eyebrow. _"What?"_

Crusader raised her burning, dark eyes and chuckled again at Ashura. "You poor fool…even in your stronger form you are still inferior. Use your brain or brains or whatever you have. I suppose to germs like you and your siblings you may think I am strong in my current form. Indeed, I put any of the Four Fiends to shame. But did you really think that I could have commanded them so easily at this puny level of power?" She guffawed. "I'd have had to beat up Tiamat every other week to keep him in check. Surely you must have wondered why they always addressed me as 'he'…"

Leviathan felt his heart begin to race. Something wasn't right here. Something was not the least bit right. At once, he felt as if the tide to the battle had already turned, and they were in mortal danger. But Ashura kept standing there, and Crusader placed her arms at her sides as she continued to grin. Her hands balled into fists, and she beamed her bloody teeth for Ashura to see.

"Watch closely." Crusader instructed. "This will be the most marvelous…and final…thing you'll ever see."

With that, Crusader grit her own teeth and bit down hard. She shifted her gaze away from Ashura and stared at the floor. She began to quiver as her muscles tightened. Leviathan realized at once that she too was transforming, just as Starlet had. Only this one was much worse. Almost immediately, the ground began to quake as badly as before. The ceiling rained both dust and debris, and Leviathan felt a great deal more power arising from within the monster before him. He and the other espers stared in fear, their hearts racing and blood running cold, looking to see what monstrosity would appear next.

Abruptly, the transformation began. The remains of Crusader's chest armor abruptly exploded. As they did, new armor…thick, cruel, irregular and spiked in odd places, erupted from her chest andsurrounded her torso. This armor was plated and dark black, much more evil and lacking any of the luster of the previous armor. But in addition to that, Leviathan noticed that the torso on which the armor was hanging had grown too. It was now burly, ripped, and huge, making the limbs and head attached to it seem small by comparison. Crusader continued to stare and focus, as not only heat but golden light began to shine off her body. It formed faint lines like flame and hung over her.

Then the next part came. The tops of her shoulders suddenly burst up into a new size, much thicker around than before. But to the espers' horror, this time Crusader's skin was ripped off. It fell to the ground in fleshy threads, and behind it was left nothing but more thick, cruel armor. It made a sickening, flesh tearing noise…and soon did so again as her biceps and triceps bulged as well. It contined to do it on down the line, ripping the flesh off of her old body and replacing it with oversized black armor underneath, all the way to her hands. But there, it changed. One of her hands sloughed the skin off to form a meaty, powerful black gauntlet. But her other hand seemed to explode from her body as her five fingers were replaced with three massive, claw-like fingers that erupted from her wrist. Her forearm quickly bulged on that arm, and soon she was left with one "normal" arm and one gigantically misshapen claw of an arm, all tottering along with the torso on her tiny legs. But that didn't last long either, as her legs soon bulged and cast off all the old leggings and flesh there too, growing into much bigger, well-armored, yet irregular legs.

All that was left was Crusader's tiny head on her now giant body. Abruptly, she closed her eyes and craned her neck to the sky. As she did, she cried out…now also a powerful, deep, male tone. Most suddenly, the side of her head swelled, and a moment later a giant length of metal ripped forth from out of the side of her skull. Ogopogo screamed in fear. Leviathan and Odin shot back in terror. Ashura stared in grotesque amazement. The length of metal quickly curved around her head, and soon more spikes of metal shot out all over her body, giving her irregular blunt spikes over the whole of her flesh. On her back, two long spikes formed armor across her shoulders.

As for her face and head, it quickly began to swell and tear the flesh as well, revealing more black armor underneath. But where it didn't, the armor erupted from her head, went flat, and placed itself down on her face. Her mouth vanished under a large piece. Long ridges of metal for a neck guard grew around the side of her head. The rest of her swelling head soon was covered with the same black thick armor. All but her eyes were enclosed, which also swirled and morphed as well. The skin around them turned the same black as the armor, and became a rough, scaly texture. The color of the eyes burned a new red and yellow, and blazed with an inner light.

By now, a few fist-sized rocks were falling from the ceiling, and the floor was rather dirty. But the transformation ended. Crusader at last relaxed. It was no longer a her. The form of this new armored warrior was that of a man, and as she breathed it had a male voice that was deep and echoing through the plate over its mouth. The trembling and yellow flame vanished, but the heat continued to radiate off of it. The new monster looked up to Ashura, who was still holding back and gaping at the thing. For a while, it let her do so, but then it calmly crossed its arms in front of it.

_"Ha, ha, ha, ha…"_ She…no, he echoed. _"What do you think of my 'official Griever outfit', little Ashura? My former power is as nothing compared to it. None of the Four Fiends ever dared to even look at me the wrong way in this body, so it will be interesting to see what it's capable of."_

Ashura held back a bit longer. Leviathan watched this scene with horror. Crusader's power had grown more than he thought possible. A part of him, seeing Ashura holding back in fear, wanted to scream out to her to not be scared and not give up without a fight. Yet another part of him, the larger part…realized already that it was hopeless. Even now, he could already sense that Ashura was totally outclassed compared to this thing.

But Ashura didn't give up. In the end, she frowned, resumed her battle appearance, and crouched again. She reached out and seized the swords left behind and took them up again, and swung them in a circle as she brought the other two to bear. Then, giving a powerful war cry, she suddenly leapt off and shot at Crusader like a bolt. This time she moved much faster, far transcending her former speed as she went forward. Leviathan barely kept a watch on her, and didn't even see it as she extended two arms out in a stabbing motion while holding the other two at the ready. He might not have noticed it at all…

…except for the fact that Crusader sidestepped the stabs even faster, and responded by pounding his one normal fist deep into Ashura's side.

Instantly, the wind was totally knocked out of the thing. Ashura managed to croak in pain for a moment before all air was removed to enable it to express agony. The force of the blow shoved her back a little despite charging, and she stiffened for a moment in her old position. But then, Crusader removed his fist, and Ashura immediately collapsed to the ground on all "sixes". She didn't totally fall, and managed to hold herself up. But she gasped and wheezed against the ground. Blood began to run out of all three of her mouths as she lay on the ground, helpless to get up. Crusader kept his arms crossed and looked down at her disdainfully.

_"Nice blow, eh? I'm not used to my speed and power myself in this body."_

Ashura looked up to him, but was unable to do anything other than dribble blood and breathe. After a moment or so, however, Crusader did something new. He raised his claw arm and reached behind himself, and grasped one of the spikes. After that, he tightened up and buckled a moment…before appearing to rip the spike right out of his body. Only it kept going once he started to rip out, and grew wide and thick as it continued to be pulled. It kept going too, seeming to have been stuffed into nothingness before and making one wonder where it came from. Finally, it finished being pulled, out, and Crusader held it before him. Only then was it clear that it wasn't a spike at all…but a very long, sharp, cruel-looking sword.

_"And what do you think of this?" _He sneered. _"My own blade…the Mortsuken. Far superior to any other blade in existence, for it's forged from the most powerful being in existence…me."_

However, Leviathan had thought that Crusader had just made a mistake. Bringing out a sword was a bad idea when fighting someone with four arms and four blades. Ashura seemed to pick up on that as well. She stared at Crusader for a moment longer, but then suddenly sprung up and back to life with renewed vigor. Then, moving at blazing speed, the thing renewed its assault on Crusader, attacking with all four arms at speeds that would stupify any normal fighter.

And yet, to the esper's horror, Crusader's new form seemed to have speed as a speciality. Despite the size of his sword and oddly-shaped body, he moved just as fast as ever…so fast that he soon appeared to have four arms himself. It was as if Crusader could be in multiple places at one time, and sparks flew off from the impacts of swords as he blocked each and every one of Ashura's attacks. Even when the thing attempted to stab him with all swords at once, he still somehow blocked against them. Seeing this, Ashura redoubled her strength and efforts, but it was doing no good. She couldn't get through.

At last, Crusader seemed to get bored. Moving even faster than he was now, he abruptly swung his other fist through the storm of clashing blades and smashed it into Ashura's stomach. The blow was so strong that the fist embedded itself up to its wrist in Ashura's body. The thing cried out in pain as its assault was abruptly halted, and crumpled over the blow. But that was nothing. Immediately as Ashura's head came down, Crusader removed his fist and pointed his open palm right in Ashura's face. _"Mort-kelvin."_

Again, the deadly red light gathered in his hand. But this time, Leviathan could tell that it had grown stronger along with his transformation. The energy erupted from his hand and ignited point blank on Ashura's head, creating a potent red explosion of burning vapor. The move was so hard and strong that Ashura snapped back like a stone skimming across water. She flew back in a blur, light and vapor trailing from her head, before she smashed into a wall. Now, it was her turn to smash clean through the mountainside, leaving a trail of ruined stone and dust behind her as she tore a new tunnel in the chamber. Crusader retracted the fist and stood straight and tall in the center of the room. He made no indication of fighting or readiness anymore, but just stood there silently for a few moments.

However, much like when their roles were reversed, Ashura finally launched a new attack, shooting out of the ceiling and barreling straight for Crusader. She too was attacking him from behind.At last, Ashura reached him, and swung her blade at him. Crusader did not move, and Leviathan saw why. Ashura was doing a bluff move, trying to make Crusader think she was trying the same move he did. Sure enough, after swinging one blade, she quickly leapt up and attempted to sail over Crusader to attack him from the other side. But Crusader saw it. Abruptly, as she went over, he threw himself to the ground, planted his hands there, brought his legs up, and delivered a dual kick right into Ashura's stomach, sending her flying back up into the air.

The thing tried to stop herself this time, but still she smashed against the ceiling. Rocks and dirt rained down, and the whole room shook from the impact. Still, Ashura recovered, and with a grunt and groan peeled herself off the ceiling. But then, she quickly reacted, for Crusader was already on top of her again. The monster brandished his blade and was coming to attack at blazing speed. Ashura struggled to bring up a blade to guard against it…but it was too late. The beast swung its blade up and swung it right through the nearest appendage. As the other espers gaped, one of Ashura's arms went flying from her body, spiraling blood all the way. Ashura's three heads cried out, and quickly held the wound in pain with one arm, dropping the Zantetsuken out of the hand to do it. The other two arms formed an X to intercept another chop from Crusader's Mortsuken. The two blades caught it right as Crusader jabbed for her chest. But no sooner had he done that, then he released the blade, and simply extended his monstrous claw right for Ashura's throat. He seized her tightly, making her choke and gag. Then, with a tremendous effort, he threw her over his head and straight for the floor…pausing only to use his other hand to take up the Mortsuken again as she went down. Ashura sailed to the floor like a shot, and this time had so much power that she didn't slide. Rather, she smashed a huge crater into the ground, sending stone shards flying up everywhere on all sides. She looked like a rag doll as she did so, and didn't move initially on landing.

However, Ashura still hadn't given up. After the initial pause, she grit her mouths and forced herself to shoot back to her feet. Once there, her neck rotated again. Her face went from being Starlet's to being the blue face. She looked ready to attack again after that, but she hesitated before doing so. Crusader was still hovering overhead, and preparing a new attack. He had shifted the Mortsuken into the claw, and was now pointing his gauntlet at Ashura. For a moment, she stared at it in puzzlement, but then spikes suddenly erupted from it. Ashura jumped back a little in surprise…only to look again and see that they weren't spikes at all. They were needles…lining his knuckles and pointed right at her. Crusader's red eyes narrowed. "Blow Fish."

A hailstorm of razor-sharp death instantly erupted from Crusader's hand. The needles shot out of his fist and barreled straight for Ashura. But no sooner had the old needles left than new ones came into place, and then fired as well out at Ashura, forming a steady stream of long, six-inch, thick needles headed right for her. The thing gaped a moment, but then quickly raised both blade arms and began to furiously swing them aroundy. As the needles hit, they were deflected from the blades and were sent flying in all directions. This, of course, meant the espers also had to dive for cover as they struggled to watch the battle. With her free arm, Ashura shielded her face and eyes from being stabbed. Despite her power and speed of countering the move, it wasn't without pain. Leviathan watched her battle the endless stream, and saw occasionally one needle would imbed itself in her hands or forearms. About ten of them hit the hand guarding her face. Ashura yelped in pain each time, but kept guarding. The needles weren't meaningless hits after all. Each one led to a considerable amount of blood running from where they landed

Suddenly, as soon as the attack started, it had ended. The needles stopped coming, and the assault was over. But Ashura had barely lowered her blades when Crusader lunged at her again. This time, one of his armored knees were put forward, and he proceeded to smash Ashura right in the head. Again, Ashura was ripped off her feet and sent flying backward, and again she smashed into the wall. She didn't go all the way through this time, but she did imbed herself in it. The crash was so loud that it shook the chamber hard, and a few rocks rained from the ceiling along with dust. The place was becoming very unstable, Odin realized. But Leviathan was concerned with the battle and watched what was happening. Rocks had fallen on Ashura again, and for a moment she lay there with only her feet protruding. Crusader calmly landed and waited for the next move.

At last, the rocks began to shift and tumble. Slowly, one after another fell off and to the ground, as the one beneath picked her way out.The bruised, beaten form of Ashura rose. But she was wobbly now, and didn't look good. Her head had a massive gash on the blue forehead, burns covered Starlet's face, and blood ran freely out of all of their mouths. Her skin was cut and bruised all over, not to mention littered with black dust. Her one arm still bled. Her chest only stiffly rose and fell, indicating broken bones. Each of her arms had several of those bloody needles in them, the ends of which some had broken off. But worst of all, Leviathan could sense her strength. It was falling steadily now. Each new blow robbed her of more. She'd soon have nothing left. Crusader's, by comparison, hadn't diminished.

_Stop it, Starlet…_ Leviathan wanted to say. _He's going to kill you…_ And yet, at the same time, he realized not fighting wouldn't save her either. It wouldn't save any of them. At Crusader's new power, they were nothing. Even Bahamut's Megapyrin couldn't beat him now.

At last, Crusader raised his one gauntlet hand and pointed it at Ashura. The others secretly wished Ashura to run, to not waste her life on this. But she would not. She breathed heavily and fear was in her eyes, but she didn't back off. After holding a little, she exhaled, and then raised her blades and crossed them in front of her, guarding again whatever was going to come next. Crusader seemed to think this was amusing as strange rays of light emitted from his hand. They seemed to form a rainbow prism in the air, and swirled around in a circle as they did so. Leviathan couldn't sense much power in this gesture alone, but soon Crusader followed it up saying, "Aqua Rake."

This turned out to be the most unusual attack yet. Rather than come from Crusader's hand, the attack seemed to materialize in mid-air. Abruptly, the air condensed and gathered behind Crusader, forming large pockets of either bubbles or water in the air. But the moment they formed, they began to rush forward, straight and true, right toward Ashura. They moved incredibly fast, as if gravity was pulling them and they were moving faster and faster as time went by. Ashura stood her ground, not moving or budging in the least, and preparing for the attack. At last, one of the first bubbles hit her, and immediately burst and splashed all over her.

Ashura instantly screamed in agony, and the espers gasped as they saw why. The bubbles were full of boiling hot water, that instantly burst into steam the moment they were ruptured. And now, Crusader was sending about a hundred of them at her. Ashura opened her eyes again in fear, but it was too late to escape. One bubble after another struck her in rapid succession. Ball after ball of burning hot liquid splashed, flying through the air and effecting such a wide range that it was impossible for anything to stop it. She couldn't dodge, and hit after hit impacted her. Each bubble erupted and doused her with more and more burning liquid. Her body was soon soaked and steaming, and red burns came out from all over it. What strength she had left was boiled away, but Crusader continued to pummel her…laughing…in torture.

At last, he broke it off, and Ashura fell to the ground, her body red and steaming. She lay limp and unmoving as her flesh continued to burn, snap, and hiss. Crusader, on his part, calmly walked over to the fallen opponent. She never even moved to try and get out of the way, or writhe to get her bearings back. Crusader soon stood before her, and proceeded to take up the Mortsuken again, stick it in his back, and then seem to insert the sword back into his armor and flesh. Indeed, he stiffened and grunted a bit as he did it, but soon he had pushed it back in to the point of being a single nub spike. That done, he calmly reached down with his claw and seized Ashura by the neck, then raised her up from the ground and held her in the sky. She never reacted, only made a small noise as Crusader grasped her burn hard.

_"Had enough?"_ The monster mocked her. Ashura, of course, didn't answer. _"Good. I'll kill you then."_

With that, Crusader threw his head forward and smashed his metal helmet hard and strong into Ashura's forehead. When he pulled it back, blood trailed from her head to his. Ashura never even reacted to the sickening blow, producing a likewise sickening crack. However, her body reacted. A burning sound suddenly came on the air. A sizzling and snapping occurred. Slowly, Ashura's body began to wither. Zantetsuken dropped from her hand, and with a glow of light, the two remaining blades suddenly pulled themselves together and became one again. The stump of one arm and another arm itself made a flesh ripping sound, and then fell from Ashura's body and instantly crumbled into dust. Ashura's head spun so that Starlet's dead-looking face was aimed forward, and then the other two shrank back into her skull. Hair quickly grew over the new bare skin as Ashura returned to normal size, only burnt, bloody, and dressed in white rags. She had reverted back into Starlet.

_"Hmm…you're 'righteous anger' seems to have expired. You're nothing more than a bug like your brothers now."_ Crusader said this, but then lightly tossed Starlet over his shoulder like a piece of trash. She sailed through the air, and would have smashed into the ground again after a moment…had not Leviathan suddenly shot out, quickly twisted his coils into a catching position, and caught Starlet on the way down. He cradled her gently as he did so, easing into the throw and holding her firm. Once she landed, he quickly rested her body on the ground. Ogopogo and Odin rushed over as well, but Leviathan didn't notice them. He focused only on Starlet.

She was pale and going cold…seeming like she was already dead. The trauma alone could have killed her if the injuries didn't. The needles were still embedded in her hands, and she was still covered with burns and gashes. Leviathan gaped at her in pain and horror. He thought of saying her name, but didn't know if she could even hear him. At last, he rushed over and seized the nearest needle with his teeth and yanked it out. He quickly began to yank out the others.

"Starlet…" Ogopogo murmured. "She's so still…"

_"Worry about yourselves, children."_

For a moment, Starlet was forgotten as the espers turned and looked to Crusader. He had turned and was facing them now. Inside, Leviathan's anger blazed. He wanted nothing more than to see him cut in half by one of his Aqua-jects. But he knew it was useless. They couldn't do anything now. At this stage, none of them could beat him. And so they sat paralyzed, staring at him blankly.

_"No more heroics, then? No more puny attempts of valor?"_ Crusader murmured. _"You brats are always in such a ready mood to die. Why not try your luck again? I'm looking forward to utterly cutting you down and beating you within an inch of death for daring to think you could do the slightest thing to me."_

Leviathan stared back silently, as did the others. Ogopogo began to quiver and cringe, no doubt thinking of quitting again. Leviathan, on his part, refused to. It might be futile, but Ashura knew it was futile when she stood up to the Aqua Rake. He'd fight too, and began to generate another Aqua-ject inside him. As for Odin, he was without his sword, which lay across the room, but still he tightened his fists. He was ready from the start to die in a blaze of glory. He wouldn't give up. Soon, they'd initiate the last part of this battle…

But then, the espers noticed Crusader change. He suddenly raised his head, and seemed to stare not at them but behind them. They paused a moment, wondering if they were seeing things. But when they realized they weren't, they too turned and looked behind to see what it was that Crusader was focusing on.At the entrance to the chamber,the latest arrivalhad come.

Wyvern grinned confidently, arms crossed and red wings unfurled as he framed the doorway.

"Time to die, Griever."

* * *

Bahamut got the news at a bad moment. He had just touched down in the emptied Ultima Nexus and began to cram nectar into his mouth when he felt it happen. A good aura, until then, had surpassed Griever and seemed to be winning. But at that moment, the dark aura that was already so strong that it filled the world grew stronger yet. Now Bahamut could feel it distinctly where he was. The good aura vanished…and now he could sense his brother's power had just arrived at the location as he finished eating. He hadn't wasted any time, but had quickly focused all the mental power he could muster to try and send Wyvern a message.

_Stop, Wyvern! Please stop! Don't fight that monster! It'll kill you!_

Whether or not Wyvern could hear him didn't matter, for he didn't move. Bahamut struggled to alert him with this message, begging him not to fight. Wyvern was seriously overestimating himself again, and this time it would cost him dearly. The gap between him and Griever was far too great. But no matter how hard he tried, the aura stayed where it was. Bahamut realized that even if he was getting through, Wyvern had grown too cocky with his power. He wouldn't listen. At the same time, Bahamut began to realize that Jadea's horrible prediction may have been right. He had said that he could possibly raise his power a hundred fold greater than what Bahamut's had been when he first learned Pyrin. And if that was right…then Bahamut doubted even he could win.

At any rate, that time was over. He turned himself around and unfurled his wings. Much to his pleasure, he realized that he hadn't been fighting the Four Fiends anywhere near his real strength. He hadn't eaten anything for six months, devoting all his time to training. As such, he was in a much weaker state. Now that he was full and energized, he realized his power had shot up far higher. One last time, he scanned the world below. His sensing abilities were strong now. He saw that Phoenix's power, along with Palad's, had already abandoned the humans and were on their way. Bahamut didn't know whether to be happy or scared because of that. They had no chance against Griever…but without them they might all die.

As Bahamut took off again, rushing as fast as possible to Griever's lair, he wondered if indeed Wyvern might be first to die before he got there…

* * *

To be continued...


	17. Tactics

"So, this is the great Griever."

Silence reigned in the chamber for a few moments. At least, as much silence as there could be. Parts of walls were crumbling, and the wind was blowing in through the holes. Ogopogo and Odin watched the latest arrival. Leviathan tended to Starlet, quickly pulling out the remaining needles. But she was in bad shape. She needed another one of those elixirs, or at least to be moved to a safe location to have her injuries tended to. At least, for right now, Crusader was concerned with Wyvern's arrival and not them. But Leviathan feared that too…he could tell Wyvern was stronger but still inferior to Crusader at his current power.

_"Wyvern."_ Crusader answered, addressing him in his dark voice. _"So you too managed to survive. I am beginning to wonder by now if all of you, in fact, did. Perhaps Bahamut and Phoenix were simply wise enough to leave well enough alone. Not that it matters now. They will have to die as well after you are finished."_

This only made Wyvern grin wider. "You're the only one who's finished, Griever. I've ascended above all the other espers now."

Crusader snorted in reply. _"Still the overconfident idiot, Wyvern? You always were a troublemaker and nothing more. You're lucky Bahamut did help you out in life so much."_

Wyvern raised an eyebrow. "So, you seem to know our names and about us. Mind telling me why?"

_"I've already explained it by now."_ Crusader sourly answered. _"What will such knowledge avail you when you're turned to ashes? You can ask your little brothers and sisters when you get to the next world."_

Wyvern only snickered at this. "You have no idea what you're up against, do you?"

However, Leviathan knew better. "Wyvern, don't attack!" He called out to him. "Get away! Use your new power to get away from him! He's too strong for you!"

"Oh, hush up, Leviathan." Wyvern immediately shot back, not turning away from Crusader. "You and your brother always were cowardly and weak. I wouldn't expect you to understand how far I've become. But why take my word for it?" With that, Wyvern uncrossed his arms and slid his feet into a ready position. He grinned at Crusader wickedly. "Let me show you…"

"Don't do it!" Leviathan boomed. "You can't win! Stop it, Wyvern!"

But Leviathan's warnings fell on deaf ears. Nothing was going to stop Wyvern now. The esper grinned and held back a fist. He focused for a moment, tightening it and seeming to summon his strength up to bear. His wings flew up behind him, and he glared menacingly at Crusader the whole time, who never changed. Then, giving out a "ha", Wyvern shot forward like a flash, and took off. He reared his fist back more, focused, and then finally arrived right in front of Crusader. He immediately brought his fist forward with all his strength and momentum and connected it.

A clap of thunder rang through the chamber. The room shook again, and more rocks and dirt fell from the ceiling. The floor buckled under the power from it.

And through it all…Crusader's head moved back one inch.

Despite having expected this reaction the whole time, Leviathan was still horrified. He didn't show it, and neither did the others, but they still stiffened in panic and fear, knowing that another severe beating was about to take place. The biggest shock was on Wyvern's face. He gaped in total amazement at his lack of ability to do anything. Again, after another surge in power, he still found himself frustrated by his opponent. His hand slowly peeled off of Crusader's face and fell to his side, limp and effortlessly, expressing his shock to the fullest.

Leviathan groaned inwardly. He had known this would be the result all along. Wyvern had gotten stronger indeed, and at this point surpassed even Tiamat and his Pyron. But Ashura had been much stronger than him and still lost to Crusader. He was nothing compared to him in this form. If Wyvern had tried sensing him, he might have known that before arriving. But Leviathan guessed at this point that Wyvern had been so full of pride and delusions about his own power that he failed to realize the truth that his was truly inadequate. He had refused to believe anything could be stronger, especially after how hard he had worked.

_"Was that supposed to hurt?"_ Crusader mockingly asked. _"If you can do that enough times in a row, Wyvern, you might give me a massage."_

Wyvern fell back on his feet, a distance away from Crusader, and gaped at him. He didn't move or budge, not knowing what to say or do. He realized now his own power was nothing. Crusader knew that too, and seemed to be relishing every moment of it in his silent pride. Wyvern gaped a bit longer, but then shook his head in disbelief. "That's…impossible." He gasped. "My power…my power has to be the greatest…"

Crusader snorted. _"You espers…always prattling on about power when you haven't the slightest inkling what true power is. But I have always known about real power. I am power personified."_ Crusader paused for a moment after that, staring at Wyvern. He seemed to be thinking, considering something or mueling a possibility over while he looked at him. Finally, a conclusion or idea seemed to be reached, and Crusader sounded much happier and insightful. _"In fact…I think I shall educate you all on power right now. At last, I'll have the opportunity to exert some of my true power…"_

Leviathan and the others went pale as ghosts. He had to have heard wrong…

"_True_ power...?" He exclaimed aloud. "Aren't you already fighting with your real might?"

Crusader laughed wickedly in response to this. It was loud and long…and made everyone's blood run cold. It sounded like a laugh once again mocking the espers' ignorance…or at least their wishful thinking. Leviathan already had a good idea of what the answer to his question was, and he didn't like it… None of them did.

_"This? This being my true power? Don't make me laugh."_ Crusader answered confidently. _"I'd be pretty foolish to go about calling myself a god if this was the highest I could go. Oh no, Leviathan…I can go much, much, much higher. This bit of power I'm at right now is insignificant."_

"You're lying. You have to be lying." Odin suddenly accused. "There's no way you could contain that much power within you if it really existed. It would kill you trying to come out."

_"Well, at least you're thinking in the right direction, Odin." _Crusader acknowledged. _"You're right. My true power was too much for me to handle or for anything around me to endure. That is why when I was born, I was born in triplicate. I was three parts of one whole. Each part of me represented a piece of a puzzle that could only be completed if all three could combine. I have, in total, three different forms, representing each of my three aspects of existence: wisdom, courage, and power. Your entire lives, you saw the form of my wisdom. This form represents my courage. But my power form…"_ He laughed darkly at this. _"Oh…it's more horrible than death."_

Wyvern's shock began to wear off. In its place, anger began to flow in. He balled his hand into a fist and waved it at him. "You're bluffing! I don't believe you!"

_"Believe what you want."_ Crusader simply answered. As he did, he began to slide his feet out and plant them again. He balled his own hands into fists and held his arms up at his sides. Already, Leviathan knew the horrible truth. He wasn't bluffing. Why would he have any reason to? He was already beyond any of them. Yet the thought that he had even more power terrified him. _"I'll soon dispel your myths by showing you my power form right now."_

With that, Crusader tightened up, and began to grunt loudly. The sound was as if he was under a tremendous strain. Immediately, the heat began to build up, and continued past making a golden haze and turned almost into golden flame around him. The sheer power pouring off him expressed that. The air began to charge terribly, and a violent tremor began to rush through the chamber again. But it was stronger this time…and built itself up quickly into a quake. The place rocked violently. Odin was thrown to the floor, while Ogopogo grasped at it. Wyvern himself stumbled back, struggling to stay up. The holes in the room developed larger fissures and cracks around them, and large pieces of stone fell from the ceiling to the ground and shattered. Crusader grunted louder and louder, nearly crying out over the strain of his own growing power. His feet began to dig into the ground under the force.

Abruptly, the armor around his legs exploded. The shards went flying everywhere, and quickly Wyvern and the others shielded themselves. Leviathan once again coiled around Starlet in a flash, shielding her from further damage. They all looked back to Crusader, and saw why his armor had exploded. His legs had suddenly grown twice as long and had become muscular and huge, as big as tree trunks. He was in bare, bronze-colored skin there, but he had no toes. It seemed as if his feet merged together in a boot-like shape with one, massive, foot-spanning toe. He kept grunting, and as he did his voice grew deeper yet. A popping and cracking was heard from him, and as the espers watched, they realized that it was Crusader getting more vertebrae. His torso was growing inch by inch, and his armor was straining and breaking under it. Pieces of it began to fall off or pop off as he got bigger. His chest swelled too, popping off the rest of the armor as his torso grew massive, about as big as Odin. Rippling, rock-solid muscle was underneath.

He grunted again, and flexed an arm. Immediately, the armor exploded on it, and a hulking arm was underneath, again thick as a tree and bulging with muscle. He flexed his other arm, and it did the same. The claw difference was gone. Both arms were now identical…huge and solid. The thing's voice was deep now, and it cracked its neck as the curling spike that had come out before suddenly rolled out again and straightened. What more, it slid across his head until it was right in his forehead. Once that happened, the armor around it exploded off as well…revealing a massive, blood-red, razor sharp horn. Giving a yell, which was more like a lion's roar at this point, the rest of the helmet exploded…revealing yet another helmet underneath. But this one was smooth and dome-like, enclosing Crusader's head. A small tuft of white-blond hair trailed out like a horse's tail from an opening in the back, and the red horn protruded from an opening in front. There was no place for a mouth here, but there were eyeholes, and they had turned white, purple, and green…a monstrous combination.

The quake died off, although the entire room was now fractured and pieces of stone continued to rain down. The flames died, but a haze of golden energy continued to hang on the monster. What now stood before the group was a hulking behemoth, huge and terrifying. It was easily twice the size of Wyvern, and looked solid and formidable as a mountain. It had no weapon, but it hardly needed one. Leviathan's heart nearly froze just scanning it. He realized now that not only was Crusader not bluffing, but what Jadea had feared and told Bahamut was true. Its strength really did match Jadea's worst estimations.

Crusader took two monstrous steps forward, shaking the room and crushing rocks under its feet. Its new voice bellowed. **"Do you see it now, little espers? Are you beginning to regret your puny little decisions? I could have ground your bones into powder in my last form, but now that I'm in this one I doubt I could keep from killing even if I tried to hit you gently…which I won't, by the way."**

Wyvern couldn't respond. He continued to gape and gag. Leviathan screamed in his brain a clear message. _Run. For the love of God, Wyvern…run! One of us has to survive! I don't know if any of us will ever be strong enough to fight it, but run!_

Crusader laughed darkly. **"You worked so hard, Wyvern, but as always you talk much more than you could ever back up."**

Wyvern held his mouth open a few more moments, shocked at Crusader's new strength. However, a fire had been lit in his brain. Crusader had insulted him and his power, and he wouldn't stand for that. He hadn't obtained all of this new strength just to be put down by his first opponent. Wyvern's horror slowly vanished and began to be replaced with anger. He planted his feet on the floor and balled his hands into fists again. His teeth clenched and he began to hiss angrily.

"I don't care how strong you think you've become!" Wyvern snapped. "I'll still beat you! I'm the strongest of all the espers now! And I'll prove it! Bahamut…he said this attack could go beyond my own power… So watch now as I give you a Pyron far stronger than your little wimp Tiamat ever could!"

Wyvern dug his feet into the ground, extended his wings, and immediately began to focus. Rage and emotion filled his charging this time, and his power quickly rocketed upward. To the espers' surprise, the glowing heat began to ripple around him as well, making him far stronger than ever before. True to his word, Leviathan watched as the power he was summoning to himself exceeded Wyvern's previous limit, and continued to climb rapidly. The ground began to shake once again. More rocks and debris fell from the ceiling, and the espers were forced to take cover again. Leviathan clutched Starlet tighter and began to think of what would happen next. He realized already, in short order as the sky grew dark and charged, that Wyvern's attack was going to be stronger than Bahamut's. But he had no idea if it was enough… Wyvern sure seemed to think it was, and continued to build up and up. Odin, noticing his strength, seized the frightened Ogopogo and began to drag him back against the wall. He crouched as he did so.

"Get back." He ordered Leviathan. "This attack is so strong I don't know how much area it'll destroy."

Leviathan agreed, and began to drag Starlet back as well. Crusader never reacted, or if it did one couldn't see its face. At last, Wyvern was at his peak. His eyes blazed with anger and fury, and he opened his mouth wide.

"Say goodbye, Griever! _Pyron!_"

The newest blaze burned even brighter than Bahamut's Megapryin. In all possibility…it was stronger. The espers were only able to look at the blazing balls of light that erupted from Wyvern's throat for a moment before forcing to avert their eyes in pain. Each ball burned more strongly and intensely than ever before, and sailed with deadly speedstraight for Crusader. Even the monster had to be shocked at the speed. For a brief moment before looking away, Leviathan managed to see Crusader, in a sort of stunned manner, uncross its arms and stare at the attack in surprise. But he had to look away right after, and after that happened the attack erupted.

The newest blast was gigantic. Leviathan felt himself nearly be blown away by it. Odin was too, and had to clutch on hard to the cracks in the floor to stay still. Ogopogo still went flying a bit, though somehow he must have stabilized because he stopped crying out. Leviathan couldn't see much. He had to keep his eyes closed due to the blinding flash that erupted before them. Horrible, searing heat swept over their bodies. It hurt and burned, but they had no choice but to endure it until it passed. A wave of power struck them all, nearly throwing them off where they were planting themselves. Gigantic cracking sounds went all around them as the walls crumbled and collapsed. The entire mountain sounded like it was coming down, and yet no more rocks or pebbles hit them. Only a few pieces of rock slapped their bare skin as the explosion raged. It was also so loud they thought that they would go deaf. Their heads pounded and ached from the blast.

At last, the light died down. Leviathancoughed hard. The others did too, and Leviathan finally opened his eyes to see the source. The other espers followed suit.

The top of the mountain had been completely blown away. A few small fragments of rock rained down, but they were smoldering and smoking. Most of the rest of the rock had flown anywhere from ten feet to two miles away. Where the espers were laying, there was still a rough outline of where the mountain chamber had been cut into the rock, but on the side where Crusader had been standing there was nothing but the blasted rock. The mountain had been cut down to a more even size with the others. The clear sky shown down, although the sun still hadn't passed through the opening yet. The entire mountaintop was smoldering and shedding rock dust. All of the espers were covered with dirt now.

But Leviathan focused on the remains of the chamber. To his surprise, the Crystal looked unharmed. It still was perfectly pure and beautiful. Now, Leviathan began to realize that it held a power inside it as well, and it must have been a great one to survive the explosion. However, his next focus was on the middle of the mountain, where Crusader had been standing. The smoke and dust was thickest there, and he waited to see what had happened to Crusader. Was it gone? Was it hurt? Did it dodge or feel nothing? Wyvern was panting, standing on the opposite side and looking stressed and strained. He had put a lot of power into that, perhaps too much. It looked like he had worn himself-

Leviathan's thoughts cut off as he saw the smoke suddenly ripple wildly. It puzzled him for a moment, until he suddenly realized it was something incredibly fast moving out of it. But even as he realized that, he heard a sickening ripping and breaking sound, sounding thick and wet. He and the other espers quickly turned their attention to the sound…and their jaws dropped yet again.

Crusader had emerged. What more, the thing lacked a single mark on it. It didn't even look burned and dirty from the explosion. It had taken it all, and Leviathan had noticed its power had not diminished. It hadn't bothered knocking the attack away, either. It just stood up to it and let it come. However, that wasn't what was shocking them. Nor was it the fact that in a split second Crusader had emerged from the smoke and was now right before Wyvern. Certainly, Wyvern's shocked, frozen, open-mouthed expression didn't surprise them either. Whatdid was Crusader's hand…

…which had now gone right throughWyvern's body and protruded from his back.

**"Goodbye."** Crusader mocked in response.

Astunned silence went over the field. Only the faint sound of cold wind and a few bits of rocks and dust falling to the ground was audible. Wyvern didn't gag, just held his mouth open. His eyes were open wide, but already the sight in them was fading. Blood slowly trailed from his mouth, and then began to drip on the ground, quickly mingling with more blood that dripped from the sides of the fatal wound. Leviathan read Wyvern's mind, and sensed as his power slowly faded into nothingness. All of Wyvern's strength…gone in a heartbeat. After that, he saw his thoughts slowly fade, and then cease all together. His body limped and went totally lifeless, and soon his body only hung from Crusader's arm.

The thing raised its other hand and seized Wyvern by the neck, and then ripped its fist out of his body. Blood splattered on the ground along with pieces of bone and organs, and the inner wound continued to drip. But Wyvern no longer cried out. Crusader then simply tossed the body forward, and Wyvern's carcass fell to the ground right in front of the espers. It landed face up, Wyvern's expression still frozen in the last moments of horror. But it moved no more, and Leviathan knew it would never again.

Wyvern was dead.

"No…" Leviathan moaned, gazing on the body of his dead brother. This couldn't be real. He trembled in fear. Perhaps he was never close, but he was still his brother. And despite the fear of dying he hadn't ever faced the actual sight itself. But now, Wyvern, their brother, was dead and lay before them. He had been killed instantly, and never even had a chance to fight back.

"We're dead…we're all dead!" Ogopogo cried, still mortified at Wyvern's bloody body.

"Don't be a coward!" Odin shot back, though Leviathan could sense he too realized it was hopeless. "We can't give up now!"

"It's over, Odin! Get it! It's all over! We're all going to die!" Ogopogo whined aloud, his voice growing hysterical. Crusader was enjoying every moment of it, crossing its arms again and letting the blood slowly drip off its one hand. It wanted them to be terrified and panic. It wanted them to be in so much agony that they'd beg for their lives…then it would kill them anyway, each one more horrible than the last to make them cry out louder. Leviathan didn't know this for a fact, but he already had guessed it and he was not far from the truth.

But Ogopogo was sadly right. It was over. Any attempt to fight now would be a meaningless gesture. They were doomed from the start. Now, no one could save the humans or them. There was nothing left to do but give out one final pathetic burst of strength and attempt to leave a mark on Crusader before it killed them all. There was no one left to stop it anymore.

**"You were all so boldly attacking before. Why not now?"** Crusader chided darkly. **"You want me to go first this time? Then let's see…whoever should I kill first? How about that bloody doll you're clinging to, Leviathan? You want to be the brave man and try and stop me?"**

Leviathan snapped out of his own thoughts, turned to Crusader, and glared. "Leave her alone!" He demanded angrily. He had no basis to demand anything, but he did so none the less. He hated this creature. "She can't fight anymore!"

**"All the more reason to kill her while she's down."**

Leviathan grit his teeth. "You touch her again and I'll…"

**"You'll do what?"** Crusader harshly snapped off, yelling so hard that Leviathan was scared into silence. **"Bleed aggressively on me? Before you die, you little wretch, you should learn that when Crusader says it will do something, no one tells it not to. To make sure you learn that little lesson, here's a bit of a punishment for your insolence."** With that, Crusader raised a hand and pointed it at him.A powerful light began to burn on the end of it, burning violet and powerful again. Leviathan instantly recognized the attack, and fear shot through his soul. **"Mort-kelvin."**

The searing, powerful beam of energy was fired off again, this time headed straight for Leviathan and Starlet. It moved like a shot, too fast and powerful to guard or dodge it. Leviathan could only gape, staring in shock and terror. Quickly, he racked his brain for something to do, trying to think of anything he could do to avoid it or survive. In moments, he realized he could not hope to dodge it or survive it. What more, he realized in terror that the attack was most likely designed to blast right through him and kill Starlet too. All he could hope to do was toughen himself up and try and guard against it…not to save himself but to try and save Starlet. He began to do so just as it closed in for the kill…

And then, abruptly, the blast shot away from Leviathan and the others at a sharp angle, like a stone skimming against a pond. It struck a rock pile nearby, instantly blowing up the entire pile and sending stones and debris everywhere in a violet blast. However, despite its power and feeling the aftereffects, it was far enough away to ignore fairly well. That was good, for the espers didn't want to be distracted at all now. After cringing from the blast for a moment, they recovered, and now looked and stared in surprise at the newest arrival.

Bahamut had come.

The blue, winged esper stood in front of the group like a shield now, wings partially unfurled and planted hard. He was impassive as stone and powerful looking, stern and hard just as he had been versus Tiamat. Again, he was grimly focused on the situation ahead of him. At least for the moment he was, totally absorbed on the person ahead. The espers gaped at him. Crusader, on its part, still had its hand extended, although it wasn't firing again. It stared at Bahamut, particularly at a plume of smoke coming from Bahamut's foot from where he had kicked the Mort-kelvin away.

Leviathan felt relief and gratitude come flowing into his body. Starlet was still safe. But what more, he was noticing Bahamut's new strength…and was amazed. He didn't know how the esper had managed it, but somehow his power had rocketed upward. The esper's power had far more than quintupled. The new strength radiating off of him outshone anything the other espers had been able to throw at Crusader so far. Even Ashura wouldn't have been a match for Bahamut in his current state. He couldn't understand how this had happened…but right now he didn't care. A glimmer of hope had returned to this hopeless battle.

Bahamut glared hard at Crusader. "How about youfight with someone for a change who can fight back?"

Crusader didn't answer immediately. But then, after a moment, it snorted. **"Bahamut…you've decided to come after all. You're as foolish as the rest of your siblings."** It slowly lowered its hand and glared at him. **"I always saw the most promise in you. You were always the smartest and most adept. And yet now you are going to fight me?"**

Leviathan quickly looked to his brother. "Don't listen to it, Bahamut! It's-"

"Crusader, I know." Bahamut calmly answered.

All of the espers looked puzzled in response to that. They stared at Bahamut blankly, but the esper kept his back to them. "How…did you know that?" Ogopogo asked.

**"Indeed…"** Crusader added, raising a hand to scratch where its chin would be. **"You were always a bright boy, but however did you manage to find that out?"**

"I was amazed I didn't see it sooner." Bahamut simply answered. "I put two and two together. I kept on sensing your power leaving Ultima Nexus from time to time. But what I didn't ever realize is that your power didn't fade into the evil surrounding the world, it became it once you left our presence. For a while I thought you were simply out of my range, but while I was training by sensing abilities grew gigantically. When I stopped by Ultima Nexus just now and saw you still weren't there, it finally dawned on me that by this point I should have been able to sense you no matter where you went."

Crusader paused after hearing that. But then, the thing uncrossed its arms and clapped slowly in response to Bahamut's statement. **"Bravo, Bahamut. Perhaps you do have some wisdom within you. If so, then I hope you use it now to realize how hopeless your odds are of beating me. You should surrender now…and maybe I'll just give you the chance to live by proving your loyalty to me. Otherwise you can die with the rest of them."**

Bahamut narrowed his stare in response. "…I won't die."

Crusader chuckled a bit at that. After a moment, it suddenly looked up and past Bahamut, seeming to be more interested with what was behind him. The other espers looked as well, and immediately they saw a flash of fiery flame dance in the sky. It was Phoenix. Immediately, the firebird descended and landed amidst the other espers, touching down lightly but staying behind Bahamut. Shortly after landing, the espers noticed that she wasn't alone. Palad was on her, gripping an animal skull upside down. He immediately jumped off and touched down on the rocks.

"…You shouldn't have come, Palad." Bahamut spoke, without turning around. "This is no place for a human."

Crusader laughed. **"Let the little mouse play around. Eventually, I'm going to probably kill his entire race. What matters if he goes first?"**

Leviathan only half heard this as Crusader spoke. For as it talked, he heard another sharper voice in his mind, speaking with far more urgency.

_The rest of you stay out of this. None of you can fight anymore. I'm going to have to take on Crusader myself._

Leviathan's eyes widened a bit, and he turned his head to Bahamut. He opened his mouth to speak, but then decided better of it, and used his mind instead. _Are you crazy, Bahamut? Look what it did to Starlet! And it killed Wyvern! It'll take all of us together to beat it!_

_It's useless for you all to try and fight it now. I can sense it, and it's mightier than all of you combined. I can understand wanting to help, but I don't think you can help me anymore.Maybe if I'm lucky I can weaken it enough so you can finish it…but I'm not betting on it. You guys need to run. Get as far away from here as possible so I-_

_Do you really think I'll let them escape?_

Now, Bahamut's eyes widened in surprise. So did Leviathan's and Ogopogo's, as they both sensed the incoming message. The voice was monstrous, deep, and malicious. They knew its source immediately, as they stared ahead and focused on Crusader. If the thing could smile through its helmet, it most certainly was at this point.

_You little fools. Another miscalculation on your part, I see. You honestly think I didn't know what you've been saying this whole time? All your little plans and endeavors? I can see inside all of your minds now, and now I'm relishing in the fact that I can see pure, unadulterated fear-_

Much to Leviathan's surprise, however, as Crusader continued to ramble on to them through its own mental power, a stronger, calmer voice appeared over its own, superseding it and drowning it out.

_Don't be too scared, Leviathan. Crusader may have mental ability, but it hasn't mastered it to my level. My guess is that Crusader has had its power for a while now, and that it never bothered to work at it to make it stronger. If that's the case, perhaps I can still beat it in terms of skill. At any rate, it can't hear this right now. I'm feeding it fake thoughts to distract it._

_Now here's the thing. Phoenix is here now. She can revive Wyvern. And Palad looks like he brought some of his elixir. Use that to heal up Starlet._

Hearing this, Leviathan interrupted. _No…we should save it for you. I can sense your power. You're our only hope…_

_Starlet needs the elixir more than me. She might be dead soon, and with Crusader no longer helping us we don't know how to heal people. Now...I guessCrusader isn't going to let you guys run away, so take cover and stay out of the fight at all costs. Once Wyvern is revived, he's going to be wanting to fight back, but don't let him. At this point he could never beat Crusader, and he'd just get in the way of our fight. I also noticed how you're protecting Starlet. Once she's revived, you should do that to Palad. One stray shot in this coming battle could kill him._

_But what about you? Can you handle Crusader?_

_Heh…handle is far too light a term. More like can I manage to stop it before it beats me to death. Your sensing ability is good. What do you see?_

_…Not much. The two of you are so high that it's hard to tell you apart._

_Well, my own ability shows that Crusader at least has some edge on me, and how much I don't know._

_And you're going to fight anyway?_

_Do we have a choice?_

Leviathan didn't answer that, for he already knew the answer. He swallowed hard.

_…Bahamut._

_Yes?_

_…I'm sorry about the pond…back when we were kids._

_…Thanks._

_Don't you dare lose._

Crusader grinned again and put its arms to its sides. **"Alright, enough time wasted. Make your move."**

Bahamut stared back in response, but uncrossed his arms. He tightened his jaw and zeroed in on Crusader, making sure to keep his thoughts concealed so it wouldn't see him move. Crusader tightened its own meaty fists, cracking the knuckles. The thing looked hard and unstoppable, an irresistable mountain of a creature, and it looked back menacingly to Bahamut. None of the others moved. Leviathan didn't even give the directions to Phoenix and Palad, and neither of them did anything either. A gust of wind went by, whipping up dust. The Crystal shimmered, the trophy that would go to the victor to decide the fate of the Planet.

At last, they took off. Leaping into the air like geyser eruptions, both beings shot into the sky. They shot up a hundred feet into the sky before meeting each other, and Crusader was first. The thing swung a powerful fist at Bahamut, so strong that the force was felt by the people on the ground. Bahamut quickly ducked it, and answered back with a kick, also so strong that the espers felt its impact below. Crusader dodged this, spun around, and tried to smash Bahamut in the face with its other fist. Bahamut performed a mid-air flip, and answered back with his tail. Crusader dodged over this and fought back. This continued for a few moments. Both powerful creatures unleashed their might on each other, but for all their blows did nothing. Both kept up with dodging and answering back. Their force was so tremendous that clouds of dust began to billow up and gather beneath them, rising up higher and stronger. But neither of them gave an inch as they continued to try and hit the other.

At last, Crusader's fist connected with Bahamut's face. The beast's jaw and neck were snapped violently around, and even as Crusader continued to smash into him it's eyes flashed wicked glee. Yet that glee quickly disappeared as Bahamut, who went limp initially, suddenly sprung back to life, spun around, and jammed his knee hard into Crusader's stomach. Both blows sounded like thunder, crashing through the sky loudly. Crusader, on its part, appeared shocked that Bahamut had actually been able to hit it with a blow that felt significant. But Bahamut didn't give up. He quickly pulled back, flipped over, and slapped Crusader hard in the face with his tail, sending the beast flying back a bit as its head snapped up and it flailed out. Bahamut pulled back, and then shot forward to deliver another blow. But as he did, Crusader suddenly came to life itself, and recoved to smash its boot-like foot right in Bahamut's face. Blood flew out of his nose and the esper went flying backward. This force was so strong that Bahamut shot back as if he had been thrown that way, and looked too bent out of shape to answer back.

But Bahamut didn't give up. As he sailed away from Crusader, the thing laughing at him in mid-air, he suddenly came back to life. He aimed his bleeding head in the direction he was flying, and belted out, "Pyrin!"A blast of burning hot energy erupted from his mouth and flew through the sky, away toward the horizon. But the force of the unbraced attack caused the esper to suddenly stop and change directions, heading back toward Crusader. He reorientated himself so that he went headfirst, and focused on the beast. As for Crusader, it merely chortled, and prepared to pound Bahamut the moment he returned. But as he did so, Bahamut opened his mouth again, revealing more deadly yellow energy. "Pyrin!"

Immediately, another burning ball of power erupted from his mouth and sailed straight for the fiend before him. Seeing its power, Crusader's confidence turned to shock, and it quickly pointed a hand at the incoming ball. "Mort-kelvin!"

Crusader's own purple beam of energy erupted from its hand and went right for the Pyrin. It was nearly too late, but about twenty feet away its attack intercepted Bahamut's, and both erupted into a multi-colored, gigantic explosion of heat and vapor. A huge boom rocked the battlefield and ground below, and Crusader quickly shielded itself from the blast of heat and energy as it came over it. But even as it crossed its arms before it, the clouds of flame and energy parted, and rushing out of it, still at top speed, was none other than Bahamut, reeling his fist back and going right for Crusader. The attack had been a diversion. The monster realized too late, and soon found itself ripped backwards as Bahamut's fist struck it in the head with all its might plus the might of the Pyrin attack. Crusader was ripped out of the sky and sent flying to the ground from the power of the thunderous blow.

Bahamut pressed his advantage and immediately took off after Crusader, but the strength of his hit proved too much even for his new speed. Crusader continued to shoot the ground, and try as he could Bahamut couldn't catch up immediately. At last, Crusader reached the ground, connected, and began to slide against the rocky mountain terrain as it slid against it. Bahamut quickly closed in, feet outstretched, to deliver a kick to the thing.

But abruptly, Crusader sprang back to life, flipped over while tumbling on the ground, and landed back on its feet. Once there, as Bahamut continued to close in on it, Crusader planted its feet, stuck both of its open palms together, aimed at Bahamut, and then announced a new attack. **"Dark Matter."**

Immediately, a triangle formed within Crusader's palms, and began to rotate and tumble over itself. Bahamut continued to come in, and nearly struck Crusader before the attack went off. But the thing quickly leapt backward, soaring out of the way, and kept its palms aimed right at Bahamut as the esper struck the ground with his feet instead. The triangle left Crusader's palm, and quickly grew to a gigantic size. It continued to tumble over itself as it grew. The inside of it was perfectly black, so black that it seemed to drain the light from the sky. Indeed, it looked as if white streaks of light were streaming toward the heart of the triangle. It built speed as well as size, and sailed straight at Bahamut. The attack happened so fast that he didn't have time to react. He only stared as the giant triangle struck him.

It looked as if something overwhelming heavy and dense had struck Bahamut throughout his entire body. His whole frame shook and shuddered, and as he vibrated from the blow his entire body became enveloped in black energy, with only his faint outline shining out in white color. The force was tremendous, and Bahamut was ripped off the ground and instantly cast skyward. Crusader chortled at this, and then immediately took off after him. Despite how fast Bahamut was moving, Crusader shot right by him and took a new position over him, adjacent to the path he was taking from the blow. Crusader grunted, crossed its arms in front of it for a moment, made some sort of gesture, and then pointed both arms at Bahamut. **"Pale Rider!"** It exclaimed victoriously.

The attack moved similar to Phoenix's. Only this time, a great white helmeted warrior of energy gathered around Crusader in the shape of an aura, and then shot off toward Bahamut. In truth, it looked almost wraith-like. Were any of the espers close to it, they would have noticed that in addition to containing incredible attack power, the attack also made one feel cold and sick to be around. The closer it got to them, the sicker, dizzier, and colder they felt…it was as if it sucked the life out of them. And now, the white apparition sailed straight for Bahamut, and connected with him as he sailed by.

A bright white explosion of white energy went off, and Bahamut was lost in the cloud. But after a moment, he was shooting back to the ground like a stone from the force of the blast. The white aura totally enveloped him and whipped around him as if it had become clothing. It continued to suck away at his life and energy as it did so, while at the same time driving him down closer and closer to a fatal impact. Bahamut looked as lifeless as a rag as he fell. At last, he connected. A terrific eruption went off as he did. A tower of dust and smoke came up from the ground, and huge boulders and rocks were thrown everywhere from the place of impact. The world quaked, and the sky rocked like thunder from the power of Bahamut's impact into the ground.

Crusader continued to laugh slightly as it looked down to survey the wreckage. The other espers, horrified anew at what had happened, looked anxiously as well. Crusader chuckled darkly at the thought of what the espers would soon see. Pale Rider was no ordinary attack. It was a curse. Crusader itself had watched an entire human nation reduced to pale, shriveled, dried out corpses by it. The thing could only imagine what had happened to Bahamut, assuming the impact simply didn't kill him. The smoke slowly cleared from the eruption. The rocks slowly settled, although small ones continued to slowly clatter to the ground.Crusader watched closely, looking for signs of anything. But as the smoke cleared, all it could see was a hole smashed into the rock that was where Bahamut had gone in. It struggled to look closer, waiting for the smoke to clear more to see more, but for the time being it only saw the hole…

"Pyron!"

Crusader gaped and shot back a moment. It recognized the voice, and immediately the impossibility rang through his mind. There was no way that Bahamut could have survived the attack. Even if he could, his energy would have been gone. There would have been no room left for a Pyron. And yet it heard the attack, and soon heard an eruption of rocks and dirt once again, as well as a horrible cry of thunder in the air, as the massive attack ripped out of the ground and came for it.

Yet Crusader was confused. It didn't see anything at the site of impact. That was when it realized it wasn't coming from there…it was coming from right under it. Bahamut, it realized, must have moved underground before firing it off. The thing looked down, and sure enough the Pyron was already almost on top of it. Sneering angrily, it quickly shot to one side, out of the way. Deadly balls of burning energy ripped past the thing, shooting up into the sky with blazing trails of light and energy behind them. The thing felt the sheer power radiating off the attack, and was amazed…

But not nearly as amazed as when Bahamut's foot suddenly snapped its helmet in one direction.

As Crusader was smacked out of the air and carried one way through it again, it cursed Bahamut mentally. The esper had pulled a trick on him, using the Pyron as a diversion from underground, then coming out of the original blast point to hit it in the face. Snarling again, Crusader quickly halted itself in mid-air, and turned and faced Bahamut angrily. It put itself into a ready stance, and began to wonder why he had not used another Pyron if he could generate it so quickly. Why had he wasted the move?

But as it hovered there…still hearing the roaring sound…and realizing that it was getting closer…it realized that Bahamut hadn't wasted the move. Bahamut was making a gesture with his arms, and pointing downward with them…

Immediately, the original Pyron smashed into Crusader's back, gathered in full, and then erupted.

As Crusader yelled in rage as the Pyron went off, covering him with giant, burning, explosions, the fiend realized that Bahamut had learned how to manipulate attacks in mid-air. He had managed to spin the Pyron around and hit it from behind. Understandably, it was enraged. That was yet another time Bahamut had duped it and had humilated it in the process. And yet, at the same time…the attack that went through didn't do much in the way of damage to Crusader. It burned and hurted, but all the deadly explosions didn't do one bit of serious damage to him. More than anything, it was angered as it was roasted in the flames of the Pyron explosion.

The explosion finally died. The fires blew away, the smoke dissipated, and the roar from the blast faded. Crusader now hovered in mid-air looking enraged. Its entire body was smoldering, its back was scored and burnt, and in general it was not in a good mood at all. It glared angrily at Bahamut and grit its teeth.

**"Little nothing…you have no idea what you started."

* * *

**

Starlet, fully recovered now, stared hard at the battle herself. In reality, after hearing all Leviathan had done for her, she was rather embarassed and wanted to thank him. But he was already staring at the battle and watching closely, and she followed suit. The others were staring on as well, Palad included. Phoenix was the only one not doing so, she had enveloped Wyvern, and was beginning to turn her fire on to revive him.

"I didn't think anything was higher than my Ashura transformation…" Starlet exhaled. "This is amazing…"

"Can you revert into that form again?" Odin suddenly spoke up. "If Bahamut falls, we'll need it."

Starlet ruefully frowned in reply, and turned her head to Odin remorsefully. "I'm afraid I can't. Even after that elixir, I can't pull it off. I won't be able to for another ten days. Besides…I don't think it would really help now. That thing is too powerful. It beat me before, and it's gotten much stronger since then."

"Well…Bahamut can win, right?" Palad suddenly ventured.

"W-W-Well…" Ogopogo quivered, trying to muster up enough bravery to speak. "They're both immense in strength…I..I can't really see a difference in them yet."

"_I_ can." Odin gruffly answered. "I hope Bahamut's just playing around out there, because Crusader seems to be landing a lot more hits on him. At least he seems as durable as Crusader…"

Abruptly, Leviathan snapped his head around. The espers looked to him, and were amazed at the sight. The esper looked terrified, his eyes full of shock. For a moment, they thought it meant the worse, that he had seen Bahamut was failing. But no, it was directed behind them. "Phoenix, no!" He cried.

The others quickly looked around. As they did, they saw Phoenix's flame die out that had enveloped her and Wyvern. As before, the great firebird went down, only this time she dropped like a stone without any grace whatsoever. Wyvern fell with her, of course, only this time as he was falling into a squat, he snored/grunted, and wrinkled his nose. While Phoenix fell all the way to the ground, he spread out his arms and caught himself before falling the whole way. He shook his head, as if dusty, and then began to rise up again. He looked well, the others noticed. The hole in his stomach was gone, and he appeared strong and healthy again. But as Starlet sensed him…she realized he seemed _too_ strong. Palad was drained before when he was revived. Then, as she sensed on…she suddenly realized that while Wyvern looked fine, Phoenix was not. Her energy had almost fallen to zero.

"Phoenix!" She exclaimed. Immediately, she rushed over to her sister's side and bent down. She quickly checked her vital signs, seeing how she was doing. To her horror, Phoenix's heart was barely beating, her breathing had all but ceased, and she had grown very pale and cold. "Oh no…" She uttered.

Palad saw this, and his own eyes filled with fear. "Phoenix!" He exclaimed, quickly rushing over to her. He went to her side, braced himself underneath her head, and struggled to raise her. "Get up! Get up!" He encouraged. His failure to elicit a response made him even more terror-stricken. "What happened to you?"

Ogopogo watched this along with the others, and swallowed hard. "You…do you think…that last revival was too much for her?"

"No, I know why."

The espers immediately turned in a flash to who was speaking, all except Wyvern, who's eyes were blinking and was still shaking his head. But the others all focused solely on Leviathan, who looked grim and serious.

"I picked up in her mind what she planned to do." He spoke with a sigh. "She knew that Wyvern was one of the strongest ones among us, and she felt it was better if she revived him at full strength. But like she said before, she had to nearly kill herself to do it. She's drained her body totally dry of energy and life. I don't know how long it'll take her to recover from this."

Starlet and Palad looked worried at that. They turned and immediately began to look back to their fallen friend. Ogopogo likewise swallowed, for he realized what this meant. None of them could be revived in this battle if Crusader decided to start killing them one at a time. Odin sighed and shook his head at Phoenix, thinking her sacrifice was foolish, and Leviathan likewise bowed his head toward her, thinking instead that her effort was valiant. After a moment, however, Wyvern, now recovered, looked around at them, shook his head, and spoke up.

"What're you all talking about? What revival?" He stated. He looked around a bit more, and then over to the battle site as well, where Bahamut and Crusader were still duking it out. "How did Bahamut get here before me? The last I saw, I was fighting Griever…" He hesitated a moment, but then shrugged. "No matter. I'll go now."

Immediately, Leviathan snapped out of it and put his tail against Wyvern in a halting gesture. Odin also looked up and glared at the esper. "Slow down, hotshot." He grunted. "There's a lot you've got to know about first…"

* * *

Again Crusader swung its fist at Bahamut, and again the esper ducked. He tried to counter by punching Crusader in the gut, but the thing dodged and attempted to drop its fist on him. Bahamut dodged this and again tried a kick to the head, but Crusader snapped back, planted its feet on the ground, and swung both its legs up to counter. Bahamut leaned back and managed to dodge the latest blow, and then quickly dove forward to try and punch Crusader in the middle of its back. The thing quickly flipped in the air and just dodged him, and then brought both of its feet down to smash Bahamut down into the ground. The feet connected, and the espers body was soon smashed flat against the stone ground, so hard that the earth shook and rocks crashed. But moments after it happened, Bahamut's tail shot out, seized Crusader's leg, and then jerked it out from under it. The thing sprawled, giving Bahamut the chance to quickly flip up, while at the same time swinging down to smash Crusader into another boulder, smashing it on impact. Crusader, growling in anger, immediately snapped free and swung its opposite leg to smash Bahamut in the face. The esper's head was again snapped back from impact, and it sailed backward away from the thing. Crusader had intended to knock Bahamut a mile away, but the esper again stopped and righted himself, and swung around to plant himself back on the ground a moment later.

The thing hesitated and glared at Bahamut. Blood and bruises covered the esper now, but he was not sweating and only showed signs of minor exhaustion. As for Crusader, it had only a few scoring marks and signs of burns, but it was still angry that Bahamut was able to do even that. It hadn't expected the esper to last this long, and it was astonishing that it somehow managed to keep up.

**"You're getting on my nerves."** Crusader at last stated.

Bahamut didn't answer. He just continued to glare at the thing, and continued to prepare for his next attack. Crusader sneered. No doubt, he was intending to take whatever Crusader threw at him and use it to his advantage. That's how he had been working so far. In the end, the monster supposed it was going to have to use its brain to beat him, which wasn't that good because it wasn't in its wisdom form. It had much lower intelligence in this body. Despite that, however, it did think of one attack. At the thought of it, it grinned beneath its helmet, and then snapped up a palm and pointed it right at Bahamut.

**"Cyclo-petrifica."**

Bahamut crossed his arms in front of him and braced for an attack…when none came from the palm. He hesitated for a moment and looked confused, when abruptly the ground around him erupted. Purple and green rings of light suddenly erupted forth from it, casting up more dust and rocks as it did so. Bahamut looked around at the attack, trying to get its nature, when it abruptly moved in. One ring closed around his ankles, locking them together, and another did so around his knees. Another pinned his forearms to his side, and other his rear arms. One clamped around his neck to keep it from moving, and one bound his hands together. Still another adhered his tail to his body while two more collapsed his wings and held them tightly. At last, one clamped his jaws shut, tying around his mouth. The esper looked around in shock, but could no longer move. He realized in fear that within moments his entire body had been immobilized.

Crusader noticed this as well. Laughing darkly, it retracted its hand and began to slowly walk over to the trapped esper. **"Enjoying my holding spell, Bahamut?"** It mocked. **"Your dodging was getting annoying, so I decided to use it. Nothing can break free. You're just a punching bag now."** At this point, the monster now stood right next to Bahamut, and towered over him. It raised a fist and began to crack its knuckles. **"Or would you like me to demonstrate?"**

With that, the monster hooked Bahamut right across the face, sending him flying across the battlefield. Laughing loudly, it quickly shot after him, outstripping him as it ran and reaching his trajectory. As he sailed at it, Crusader kicked upward, knocking Bahamut into the sky at an angle. The blow again sounded like thunder, shaking the ground hard. Again, Crusader shot after Bahamut, and the esper was helpless to do anything. He went ahead of him, and as Bahamut neared he swung both fists down and smashed Bahamut downward. Again, he quickly went ahead, so that as Bahamut arrived he was just in time to shove his shoulder up right into the esper's spine, not only bending him painfully but again sending him upward.

Having finally had enough, Crusader shot up and seized Bahamut by the neck before he could move any further. He held him there, and glared evilly as he watched Bahamut struggle and strain against the energy that binded him. **"I take it from the fact that you haven't erupted yet that you realized you can't cast a breath attack without destroying yourself, now that your mouth is clamped shut."** He sneered. **"And you might as well stop struggling. That attack is using your own power against you. It mimics your own strength and utilitzes it to keep you bound. You'll never escape…until you die."**

Bahamut didn't seem to care, but continued to struggle against it. Crusader laughed at this, seeming to think the idea was hilarious. Then, it pulled back its arm, still holding Bahamut firm, and then looked straight up into the sky.

**"Now I could kill you here…but I think I have a better idea. I'm going to educate you on the Planet's environment. This entire world is surrounded by an empty void of space, totally free of any oxygen, which you happen to need to live. It also has no pressure in it. Seeing as I have this new mass of power, I think I'll introduce you to that environment by casting you into orbit. Then you'll get a death far worse than what I can give you as your lungs collapse, your eyeballs explode, your blood boils, and finally your body implodes. Enjoy."**

With that, Crusader tightened its muscles and grit its teeth. It focused hard on the sky, pulled back a bit more, and then with all of its endless might hurled its arm forward, and as it did threw Bahamut as hard as it possibly could. Going faster thana shooting star, Bahamutsoaredinto the sky, vanishing almost instantly from a body into a dot high in the air.

**"And just to make sure I never see you again…"** Crusader hissed, and immediately aimed a palm at the sky right where the dot had vanished. **"Deen."** Again, a stream of purple circles erupted from its hand and sailed straight upward toward the sky. They moved like flash, instantly seeming to form a solid beam in an instant. There was also much more power and might in them this time. They resonated with far more strength as they shot upward into the sky. Soon, they vanished as well into a dot, and then all together. If there was an explosion, none of them could see it. Crusader merely looked skyward and continued to stare, as if seeming to look to see evidence of Bahamut's death, or at least thinking of the misery he had to be in.

"Hey, Crusader."

Crusader's eyes opened wide in surprise at that sudden mention of its name, and then whirled around. It was just in time to catch Bahamut's meaty tail smacking it from underneath the chin as hard as possible, sending the thing flying back. The blow was so strong that pebbles were thrown off the ground a hundred feet below, and dust clouds rippled out from the location. This time, Crusader was so caught off guard that it couldn't recover quickly, and actually went backward a reasonable amount in the sky. It did manage to catch itself, however, and then righted in mid-air. Now, a bit of blood trickled down out from the neck portion of the helmet, looking as if Crusader's mouth bled from that latest blow. Fuming and enraged, it glared ahead of it, to where Bahamut, looking a little toasted and haggard, hovered in the sky in ready position.

The thing was overwhelmed, shocked at what had happened. But Bahamut soon explained. "Your spell was strong, no doubt there. But it was still only capable of processing so much energy to answer back to its user. It could still be worn out in the end no matter how much force it bent back against its victim. I couldn't break out immediately, but after you threw me I waited until I was out of sight, thenI got a few miles of momentum before crashing into you."

Crusader glared furiously at him. It paused a moment, as did Bahamut, but in the end it made a spitting noise at him. **"You think you're so strong, don't you? I suppose you think you're outclassing me. You're thinking you can play with me and make a fool of me before going in for the kill. Well, enough playing around.Enough with this dodging around and gimicks. Come at me with all you have. Then I'll show you properly how far you still have to come."**

Bahamut hovered for a moment longer, looking sternly at Crusader. He didn't answer or show any emotion. But in the end, he finally shrugged. "Fine." He stated, without showing any emotion. And with that, he immediately stopped hovering and let himself drop back to the ground. Crusader glared at him and watched him, before crossing its own arms and then falling down after the esper. After a few moments, Bahamut touched down. Crusader soon settled as well, and both were on the cracked, rocky field, about a quarter of a mile away from the Crystal and the other espers.

Bahamut cracked his neck and knuckles. Crusader, getting its arrogance back, snorted at him and waited patiently, expecting his first move. After Bahamut rotated his shoulders a few times, he planted his feet on the ground and put his arms at his sides. Then, he closed his eyes, and he began to summon his strength. Soon, a yellow aura began to shine around him. The sky began to turn dark, and the ground rumbled and quaked from the power. He was summoning quite an amount of force. Crusader was intrigued by it, but knew it wouldn't be enough. It would take more than this attack to defeat it. If Bahamut was planning on blasting it, it would shrug it off and then move in to kill him. And so it waited, even as the ground shook more, the air grew charged, and more and more power went into the attack. Bahamut himself seemed to sweat and strain beneath it, to contain its power. But at last, he opened his eyes, and Crusader knew the attack was coming. It braced itself and readied for the move. Bahamut opened his own mouth wide, revealing his blazing throat.

_"Pyron!"_

Crusader expected the attack to come straight at it…but instead, Bahamut immediately aimed his mouth to the ground. Moments later, giant, blazing balls of deadly energy erupted from his mouth. They thundered forth from it, one after another with blazing speed, so strong that they looked like they would snap Bahamut's head off, but continued to come forth none the less. Crusader could feel their deadly power, and yet not one was aimed at it. At last, the final ball erupted from its mouth and went into the ground. Like the others, each one had not exploded against the ground, but had rather plowed through the rocks and dirt and buried itself in it. A considerable dust cloud was going, and from that cloud Bahamut ended his attack, and then took off and shot straight for Crusader.

The thing grinned beneath its helmet. **"Fool!"** It spat. It knew what this was. Bahamut would try to fake it, pretending to charge while really moving in the Pyron from behind to attack it like before. But Crusader wouldn't go for it. It would smack Bahamut out of the sky, and then dodge his little attack. Strong as it was, it wasn't going to try and take this one. Bahamut sailed closer and closer, seeming to beeline straight at the monster. Crusader merely braced a fist, waiting for the move to come, patiently standing there. At last, Bahamut was in range, and, as expected, halted in mid-air and brushed back. But it wouldn't save him. Crusader grinned and immediately swung its fist right at his head…

…and instead found its hand painfully smacked back. Just as it was about to hit Bahamut, one of the balls from the Pyron erupted from the ground and smacked against Crusader's hand. It had enough power to smack the blow away entirely. Crusader was surprised at this…until three more balls erupted from the ground, and one by one smacked against the back of it. Each one felt like a moderate blow from Bahamut. Two smacked against its back, before another hit the back of its head. Eyes burning with rage, the thing snapped around to deflect any more hits. That was a mistake, for now Bahamut was open to finish shooting in, and pounding Crusader as hard as he could in one of the kidneys.

The thing let out a gag of pain, and then spun around viciously with a roundhouse kick to take Bahamut's head off. Instead, it only connected with another one of the Pyron orbs, knocking it away again. Two more shot out of the ground, and either one hit its head from below on either side, smacking the thing left and right with the power. The force dazzled it, giving Bahamut enough time to punch three more times into its stomach. The thing let out blasts of foul air each time it was hit, but was even more angry at the end and swung both its fists down to pound Bahamut into the dirt. However, the esper snapped back, and all Crusader got was three more orbs hitting it directly under the chin, sending it sprawling upward and bending it backward. Once it was in that position, another orb shot out and smacked it underneath one foot, sending that leg flying into the air. Crusader soon waved dangerously, for now the thing was off balance.

Bahamut quickly leapt into the air and dove downward, smashing both of his feet into the thing's stomach and sending it crashing to the ground. It crumpled around the blow and then was smashed hard into the dirt, leaving a crater in its wake. Roaring in anger, the thing brought both arms up and attempted to smash Bahamut between its two palms like he was a bug. But Bahamut shot back out of the way, and Crusader soon spasmed as three more balls shot out of the ground and pounded him in the spine. Furious at this point, Crusader cried out like thunder, shaking the ground and sky, as it flipped up and landed back on its feet. It charged right for Bahamut, swinging both of its fists. But for both of them, an orb came forth and batted its hands away…first one, then the other. That left Bahamut an opening to shoot forward and smash the crown of his head right into Crusader's forehead. After the impact, the thing went staggering back, and Bahamut quickly shot back as well. He planted his feet back on the ground, then stretched out his palms at Crusader and made a holding gesture.

Crusader soon shook its massive head and recovered, and then looked to Bahamut. It was teeming with anger, but still it paused and waited, looking for him to make the first move. But Bahamut did nothing. He stood there with his palms outstretched and didn't move. The beast hissed. **"Well! What are you waiting for?"**

However, Crusader's anger quickly faded into surprise as it saw what had happened. The Pyron orbs hadn't exploded against it because Bahamut was still controlling them. Now, they were all around it, surrounding on all sides, making it impossible to escape. For a moment, the monster gasped and looked at the sight. Then, after hesitating, it suddenly began to move, struggling to escape at the last moment…

But it was too late, Bahamut's palms closed and he swung his arms together before Crusader could get a foot off the ground. All of the Pyron balls shot inward, sank into Crusader's body, made the thing glow like a beam of light, and then exploded one after the other.The skyturned dark and dust and rocks were thrown everywhere as another terrific eruption went off. Even the espers, far away, had to shield themselves. The noise was deafening to Bahamut, but he watched the explosions rage and go off one after the other, all contributing to the one giant piercing explosion overall. The fires raged and burned, but finally the Pyron attack was no more, and ceased.

Black smoke began to fill the sky from the blast zone. As the dust cleared,yet another huge crater was revealed to be in the ground, black and smoldering from the blast.It was dug in a few feet…and hovering in the center of it, at the same position in the sky where it had been before, was Crusader. Burns covered the front of the creature now, dotting it all over. Blood oozed from three of them. Apparently, the thing had tried to cross itself before the blast hit with little success. It arms had gotten hurt bad too. It was covered with scoring now, looking blackened and dirty. Its former perfect image was tarnished and blemished now. Blood continued to drip from under its helmet, part of which was dented and actually showed about an inch of bronze skin. The hair was burnt away, giving an acrid smell, and the thing's eyes blazed with rage and anger beneath. It had shut them before, but now they burned with a fury far greater and more vehement than ever. Crusader looked like a thing possessed.

**"Damn you…"

* * *

**

"Amazing…" Starlet exhaled.

Wyvern crossed his arms and frowned a bit. He had heard the whole story at this point, including how he had so easily been killed by Crusader in this form, but none the less was feeling angry that he wasn't fighting right now. "Bahamut never bothered to teach me how to do that with the Pyron…" He complained.

"Would you have even listened if he offered, or just run off?" Odin snorted back in response. Wyvern said nothing in reply, just continued to look annoyed as he stared at the battlefield. The other espers were gathered closer, watching the action. Starlet and Palad were staying close to Phoenix. She was beginning to moan and turn now. Starlet felt that was partially due to her. She had noticed something else during their training. When she was nearby, people seemed to have accelerated healing. Now was no exception. Not only was Phoenix beginning to get stronger breathing and heartbeats, but Palad showed no sign of the exhaustion he had earlier. Was thispart ofher latent powers?

Ogopogo frowned a bit himself at the battlefield. "Why didn't Bahamut just fry it with the Mega-pyrin? It was standing right there…"

"No." Odin darkly answered. "It may have been waiting for an attack, but even someone with very low power and sensing ability would see how strong the Megapyrin would be at this point. Crusader never planned to take his first hit. It was going to dodge and counter the moment he did anything. Besides, from what we've seen, the Megapyrin takes too long to charge up. No…Bahamut is fighting a very intelligent battle. He's gaining an upper hand by frustrating his opponent."

"I think he has a bigger upper hand than that." Leviathan added. "I'm sensing their powers closely. Crusader suffered a major drop after that last move. He's nowhere near dead, but if Bahamut keeps fighting wisely then he's got this thing in the bag. Crusader's lower than him now."

Starlet, Ogopogo, and Palad lit up immediately at this. "You mean…we can win? We can actually win?" Starlet asked in hope.

Wyvern frowned again and kicked the dirt. "Dang it…I wanted to finish it…"

"Who cares?" Ogopogo beamed. "Just be glad it'll be dead! We'll be free of Greiver! No more fear or training or anything! We get to chill out from now on!"

On hearing that, Leviathan seemed to have a chord struck within him. A chill went through his body, and he thought of something. "Yes…" He spoke aloud. "We…will be able to do what we want from now on, won't we…" He mused. "Crusader will be gone. No one will be around to tell us what to do anymore."

Wyvern snorted. "Your point?"

But Starlet saw that. She too grew a bit fearful and still looking. "You're right." She stated aloud. "Up until now, Crusader has always told us what to do and how to live our lives. Without her…we'll be on our own. Any growing up we still have to do will have to be by ourselves, and from now on we're the only ones who'll be looking out for us…"

The espers grew silent at this. This was a truth, and one they hadn't really thought of. But with Crusader gone, it would be one they would have to accept and deal with. They were all still at that. They didn't know a lot about themselves or basic life yet. And they had never had to bear the burden of so much self responsibility. They had learned much of it in the past months, but this was a new level all together. Leviathan himself bowed his head and looked worried for a little while. But then, he noticed something else. Out of all of them, Odin didn't look concerned about what they were going to do next. Rather than growing solemn, he continued to watch the battle hard, and his face showed concern.

Leviathan looked to him and spoke up. "What's wrong?"

Odin glared hard at the battlefield ahead. "You said Crusader's getting weaker. After what just happened, its power has to be lowering and it has to be realizing its not doing well as is. If I was it, I'd be attacking wildly just like the fiends did, desperate to prove my superiority. Especially since Crusader has so much more pride. Strange…that it is not…"

* * *

Crusader stood still and glared at Bahamut. Murder was in its eyes. Bahamut, for his part, stood back and waited, staying in ready position and expecting any move at any moment. Silence was between the two of them.They both stood still and cold. The wind whipped by again and cast up more dust. The Crystal shimmered anew.

Bahamut couldn't see Crusader's full face of course…but at that moment the thing seemed to smile.

**"Well, Bahamut…it seems you alone had a realistic expectation of my power."**

Bahamut was a bit puzzled by this answer. It wasn't what he had expected, and he wondered what it was supposed to mean. He showed nothing, however, for the eyes remained blazing death and fury at him, although they now had an undertone of merriment in them too.

**"And you prepared accordingly as well."** The thing continued. **"Indeed. Bravo. However, I still have bad news for you. Perhaps you have been thinking that my anger over these past few minutes has been due to the fact that you thought I was frustrated at losing. I was frustrated, to be sure. You see, you can imagine the scope of my power, and how astonishing it is to see someone actually going toe-to-toe with it. But losing? Oh no, not anywhere close…"**

Bahamut glared back sternly. "You're overconfident, Crusader." He simply answered. "Strange. I never saw that kind of negative trait in you before. I'd like to think you only developed it recently, and weren't just masking it the whole time in front of us. I want to at least keep some respect for you. But you're desperately overconfident. If you wouldn't keep trying to destroy me with one attack, you might be doing better."

Crusader seemed to buckle a bit at that. A nerve was struck within it. **"Better?"** It hissed aloud. **"You little bug…you dare to insult me by talking down to me, like I was one of your puny brood?"** The thing began to lose its temper again, but then controlled itself. It remembered the line of thinking it was on, and calmed down. **"Heh…better, you say."** It spoke on more calmly. **"Tell me, little Bahamut…what need to I have to be…'better'…when I haven't even used anywhere near my real strength?"**

Bahamut's eyes grew a bit at that, but then he quickly calmed down. He snorted at Crusader, not changing his position. "You're not fooling anyone, Crusader." He countered. "I talked to Jadea before you had him killed. You're at the farthest possible limit he predicted. You can't go any higher."

Crusader laughed darkly, deeply, and wickedly at that. Its voice was cold and sharp, biting to the ear, and it pierced Bahamut's flesh to freeze his heart. He grew a bit nervous at that. In truth…he had a very strong conviction inside him that Crusader _wasn't_ lying. In fact, it was he who was hoping desperately that Jadea had been accurate in his predictions. But the thing's laughter boomed loud and long, sounding all over the battlefield, echoing wickedly through the sky and for miles and miles around. It truly did think that Bahamut's statement was funny…more funny than anything else.

**"You think some puny little demi-human could even come close to predicting my true strength, idiot!"** Crusader mocked in merriment. **"Poor little Bahamut…it looks as if you have indeed severely underestimated me as well. I'm currently in my third form…but I have _six_ all together."

* * *

**

"Good lord…" Leviathan echoed, his own body now filling with terror. Petrified, he began to shrink back.

"SIX! That…that monster has six forms!" Ogopogo bellowed. "It…it has to be lying, right? I mean…I can't even think of anything stronger than now!"

"How much stronger can that horror become…?" Starlet exhaled, body breaking out into a cold sweat.

Odin said nothing. Instead, his head bowed…and he began to go deep in thought.

* * *

Bahamut's heart had skipped a beat at the news. Had he just imagined that?

"…Six forms?" Bahamut finally answered. "But…you said that you only had three components forming the one whole of your being."

**"Don't bother trying to understand, Bahamut."** The thing mocked condescendingly. **"You don't have to anyway. You'll never live to see even my fourth form, and neither will your brothers and sisters. I don't have to change into any of them to finish you. My power form is more than sufficient to beat you without trying."**

Bahamut felt fresh terror inside him at what had been said, but he managed to get his bearings back a little on hearing that. "Again with your overconfidence." Bahamut responded. "You've been trying pretty hard since we started."

The thing's eyes filled with malice.

**"Silly, silly boy…that's because I've only been using half my strength."**

Bahamut's heart skipped another beat, and his jaw loosened as his eyes grew wide. But before he could dispute any longer, Crusader crossed its arms before it, balled its hands into fists, and spoke a single word. **"Omni."**

Immediately, the ground cracked and fractured at the thing's feet. Rocks and dirt were thrown up around it as its own aura grew and solidified to surround it. The thing shone brightly and radiantly now, as it released all of the power it had been holding back. The ground shook violently, and soon Bahamut was stumbling to try and stay upright in one spot. The sky grew dark for a moment as the sun seemed to dim, and the clouds seemed to be blown farther and farther away from the center of the area. Crusader focused on the ground as its eyes cracked. Its muscles bulged and swelled, adding another fifty percent in size at least to each of them, and growing to the point of making the thing look like a malformed hulk. It looked more like an oversized, lesser creature now than man shaped, but its aura blazed more strongly than ever, and Bahamut could feel the new power radiate through it. Electricity crackled through the air, becoming thunder now. But in the end, it broke off along with the quake. But the thing's new form remained along with the yellow aura surrounding it. The dust on the ground seemed to be blown away from the thing's new might.

Bahamut stood staring in horror, and rightly so. The thing's new strength far transcended even Jadea's worst predictions. It was a monster beyond any of his wildest dreams. And Bahamut knew full well what the others didn't sense…that the entire time he _had_ been the weaker of the two of them. Before, his intelligence had made the advantage. But no advantage would save him from this new monstrosity.

The thing stepped forward, its foot sinking into the ground as if it was soupy mud rather than solid rock. Bahamut shrank back a step at that, and the thing laughed at this, thinking it wonderful. **"This is the true power of my power form. Honestly, that last state would have been fairly pathetic if that was what all my power could do. This is enough to easily finish you. But seeing as you'll never see my sixth most powerful form, I'll fill you in on it. Strong as I am now…my ultimate power is over three times as strong as this."**

Bahamut's forehead broke out into a sweat. His body began to tremble. The thing laughed again, harder and more menacing than ever. **"Do you see now, little Bahamut? Do you see how hopeless it was for all of you to ever raise a hand against me? Do you see the true gap between your mortal powers, and the godlike powers I possess?"** It hesitated a moment, then laughed again. **"Or do you desire more education?"**

**BAM**

The ground heaved and fractured around Bahamut, large pieces of it flying in the air. His own body went flying violently backward, nearly tumbling over itself. That was what Bahamut first realized. He had seen Crusader standing there, then suddenly found himself flying. But moments later, a horrible pain rushed into his face as the air from the blow rushed together to make a thunderclap. His head felt like jelly from the first blow, and several of his teeth felt loose. But that was nothing, for Crusader soon outshot him again, went into his trajectory, and then uppercutted him.

Another clap of thunder went off as Bahamut's entire body wracked with pain. His lifeless bulk went flying straight up into the air like a shot from the latest blow, but Crusader didn't let him go into orbit this time. It outstripped him, and then smashed down both of its fists on his head with all its might. Another clap of thunder went out, and the clouds blew away from their area, as Bahamut went flying to the ground. It felt as if his skull plate had been snapped off and shoved onto his brain, and the entire world faded in and out of a cloud of black with stars of light blinking in it. Horrible pain traveled through his skull, down his spine, and radiated everywhere.

Bahamut somehow managed to right himself, and at the last moment landed on his feet nimbly on the ground. He still depressed it a bit with the force, and he felt even dizzier now that his momentum was arrested. But he had no time to worry about that, for Crusader instantly landed in front of him. Not giving the thing a chance to move, he swiped his tail at it. As he watched his blow move, he saw it reach Crusader…and then cut right through him. Crusader vanished soon afterward. Bahamut realized at that moment that the monster could now move so fast it actually looked as if it was still there before he could land a blow. Shortly after learning that, Bahamut felt a powerful kick in his back bend him into an odd shape before sending him crashing to the ground. He connected with it a moment later, sprawling out everywhere, and dug up rocks and dirt in the process of doing so.

Not wasting a second, Bahamut quickly flipped his body up and swept his tail at Crusader's legs, who now stood calmly with arms crossed and feet planted, hoping to knock the creature down. But again, his tail shot through an image of Crusader's legs, and then they faded. Bahamut then snapped to his feet, and saw that Crusader was now suddenly behind him. Snapping around, he punched at Crusader's head with all his might…to once again hit nothing but the image. The thing appeared to his left, and he struggled to outstrip it by jabbing his elbow at it, but once again he hit nothing. But moments later, a meaty elbow appeared on his opposite side and smashed Bahamut hard in the face, sending two bloody teeth flying from the esper's mouth.

Somehow, despite his head turning and barely recognizing that he was still on the battlefield, Bahamut snapped back and swung a downward hook at Crusader. Yet again, the thing vanished, and this time it reappeared right over Bahamut. The esper knew what to do now. Not wasting a second, it aimed its head, now dripping blood from the nose and mouth, summoned some power, and then exhaled an attack against the ground. "Pyrin!"

The energy ball erupted from its mouth again, and Bahamut was sent upward at an incredible rate, even faster than Crusader had expected. It was only able to hover there with its arms crossed, looking confident. Bahamut extended a fist upward, prepared to give Crusader the biggest uppercut the esper could muster. He soon reached it, and immediately drove his fist upward and into his face as hard as he could possible imagine, causing another thunderclap in the sky.

It was like punching the Planet itself.

Bahamut froze, gaping at the monstrosity. He realized now that Crusader wasn't joking, but still had plenty of power to spare. But what more…he realized his own attacks were useless now. The thing had him outclassed, and he realized in terror that there was no way to win. His fist continued to lay against Crusader's helmet as the creature chuckled.

**"I'm afraid your little fight is over, Bahamut. You're nothing more than a wimp like your brothers and sisters now."**

With that, Crusader suddenly snapped its arms over and seized one of Bahamut's wings. It immediately tightened its grip, crushing its fists around it and the bony extensions. Of course, they wouldn't give, but Crusader didn't care. Bahamut gaped and watched as he saw his own bones crumple like dead sticks within Crusader's grip. The esper then peeled his head back and screamed in agony. It was a terrible sound, but Crusader didn't seem to mind. He writhed and struggled to break free, but he was powerless in the torture of the monster. But then, Crusader chuckled as it decided to do one better…

The thing raised a giant foot and planted it against Bahamut's writhing body. Somehow in the agony, Bahamut stopped struggling and gaped in growing fear of the new situation. But it was too late. With one mighty tug…Crusader ripped the entire wing off of Bahamut's body.

Crying out in agony, Bahamut collapsed to the ground, one wing flapping uselessly. Blood streamed from his back, and he landed hard and began to writhe in pain. Crusader merely laughed at him, and then raised one arm to its helmet. It used its huge hand to grasp the end of it, and then pulled upward. The mouth of the thing was exposed for a moment…ugly and huge…like a big gaping black hole riddled with gums and teeth in descending circles. And yet it seemed to still crush and chew from about eight different points. The thing crammed Bahamut's severed wing into its mouth, and then began to _eat_ it. Bones and blood dribbled from its mouth, but it continued to crush and chew the wing viciously. Saliva mixed with blood flew everywhere in a gooey mess, but in the end it chewed up the entire wing and swallowed. It then let the helmet conceal its hideous mouth again, and crossed its arms once more to glare down at Bahamut. The esper was still bleeding, but he had calmed down now. One wing was sprawled across the ground as he crouched, looking at the painful wound. Seeing that Crusader was looking at him again, however, Bahamut looked up to Crusader.

**"Oh, if you only knew how much better you taste than human meat, Bahamut."** It sneered. **"But you don't go down so easily… They're small enough so that I can chew them but have them still be alive when I swallow…and I can feel them pounding furiously in my stomach with whatever puny bearings they have left before they die ever so slowly… Perhaps I'll finish you by eating you a piece at a time, although I must say that in order to get the full effect I think I'll leave a few pieces still on your still-conscious skull before I start to eat them…"**

Bahamut continued to breathe hard, struggling to contain his pain. He gazed up at the monster hard, despite blood running down his forehead and into his eyes. He didn't move for a long time. It seemed almost as if he had given up and realized the futility. But in the end, he did not. He inhaled sharply, held his breath, and then rose back up to his feet. Crusader expected him to attack again right away, but he did not. Instead, he closed his eyes, bowed his head, and focused again. He did so very hard for a good length of time, longer than it took to generate an attack. His muscles bulged as he focused. Sweat burst on his brow and began to drip. But still he focused, hard and determined.

Crusader expected a breath attack and kept waiting. But then, the thing noticed something else. The blood around Bahamut's wing was beginning to cease.The skin around the wound began to grow out and around to cover it. But before it could go through the motions anymore, Bahamut seemed to reach a peak of some sort. He grunted, and the healing abruptly stopped on his back. Then, his eyes opened, and he gave out a booming cry. As he did, blood and bone suddenly exploded again in all directions as a brand new wing, fully grown and developed, erupted from his closing wound and quickly filled in the last place of the former one. Crusader raised an eyebrow to this. Bahamut didn't react, but panting and looking winded, merely flexed his new wing and began to adjust it to its new environment.

Crusader snorted at last. **"So you learned the same trick Leviathan did. It will do you no good. You just delayed the inevitable. Each time you do that you'll lose more of your strength until you can't anymore. You are doomed to lose, Bahamut."** The thing paused, then sneered. **"Now let's see how much more fight I can knock out of you."**

**

* * *

**

To be continued...

NOTE: What's this? Did I bring an attack from Chrono Trigger into this story?

Not exactly.

"Dark Matter" is supposed to be "Grand Train". However, because trains don't exist yet in this timeline, I had to change the name. And since it looked similar, I thought why not?

See you next time.


	18. Ray of Hope

"Wow…Bahamut can regenerate?" Palad exclaimed at the battlefield.

However, the other espers had already forgotten about that move. It really didn't matter comparing to the danger they were in right now. They were all sweating and shivering with terror. They could all sense Crusader's new power even from where they were. They could feel the heat coming off of it. Phoenix was beginning to come around, but she was still barely conscious. Her head was rolling from side to side and her eyes opened and shut. Nevertheless, the espers no longer were concerned with her recovery.

"We're dead…" Ogopogo moaned. "Let's run…while we can…"

"That thing just keeps getting stronger." Leviathan exhaled in amazement. "Bahamut doesn't have a chance anymore."

Starlet hesitated a moment, then tried to be optimistic. "…It's…it's bluffing, right? About being that strong?"

"I wasn't sensing anything signifying a lie in Crusader's mind." Leviathan grimly answered. "Thus far, it's had no reason _to_ lie… I'm afraid Crusader is simply inconcievably more powerful than either Jadea or we predicted."

The espers stood in stunned silence for a moment. No one said anything, just simply watched in helpless shock as Crusader continued to beat the life from Bahamut. Odin bowed his head and continued to think, it appeared, but finally Wyvern snorted at the whole idea. "Big deal." He simply stated. "So Crusader's gotten more powerful. Bahamut's just playing with it again. He still has the Megapyrin. He could blow it away any time he chose, especially since he's stronger than ever now."

Hearing this, Ogopogo brightened up a bit, as did Palad. "Hey, that's right!" He chirped. "He can still use that attack to win the fight."

Leviathan sighed in reply. "Guys, use your common sense." He simply stated. "Bahamut doesn't play around. He would have done the Megapyrin long ago if he could have, but there's not enough time to do it. Crusader would be able to dodge it as well, and the moment that it saw the attack coming it would revert into a stronger form. Think reasonably. Even at his current strength Bahamut doesn't have nearly enough power to summon a Megapyrin big enough to kill Crusader with one hit."

A cold air settled on the group after that. Leviathan was right. They all knew that was true. Ogopogo turned pale and began to shiver in fear again, and the others likewise looked out at the field hopelessly. Crusader was taking its time out there, beating Bahamut slowly in order to make him feel more pain. But they all knew they would be next very shortly… But there was nothing they could do. None of them were in the same league as Bahamut or Crusader. Even Wyvern was weak compared to them. The situation looked hopeless…

Until, at last, Odin raised his head, and coldly took a step forward.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to kill Crusader."

The others immediately snapped out of their fears and looked to the esper. They stared at him blankly a moment, before Wyvern merely snorted and grinned at him. "Nice joke, Odin. But I'm afraid we all know here that me and Bahamut are a lot stronger than you. I don't really see how you could do anything in this battle."

"That's because I have yet to reveal my secret weapon." Odin calmly answered, continuing to glare at the battlefield.

Leviathan turned away from the battle and raised an eyebrow to Odin. The others did likewise. "Secret weapon?"

"He's lying." Wyvern snorted in response. "He's got nothing."

"Actually, I do." Odin nearly snapped back at Wyvern, seeming irritated with him. But he quickly calmed down. "I knew partially how to do this when I was born, but over the past six months I've fully brought it out and up to bear. I have a good grip on it now. And it's incredibly powerful."

"Why didn't you use this back with the fiends…or until now?" Starlet ventured.

"Yeah." Wyvern added, seeming to think this validated him.

"Same reason Bahamut isn't using the Megapyrin. Too long to set up." He simply answered. "Also, it's a lot more focused than Bahamut's attack. It's easier to sidestep. However, I think it's time has come at last."

"You think it's strong enough to beat Crusader now…even strong as it is?" Ogopogo asked.

"No." Odin readily replied, an answer that the others were puzzled to hear.

Wyvern snorted again. "Then why bother trying it?"

"It's not strong enough to beat Crusader if that thing tries to block it." Odin explained. "But it has enough power that it can kill it if I can hit it in a vital spot. Therein, however, lies the problem. Not only does this take a lot of time to prepare, but it also takes a second to aim it after its done, and it's slower moving than these other attacks. If I just try to hurl it right at it, it'll dodge it or intercept it, and then go into a stronger form. But I've realized now that if Crusader stays in a weaker body, it can be killed before it has the chance to bring out more of its power." After saying that, Odin turned his head and glared at Leviathan and Ogopogo hard. "That's where you two come in."

Both of them turned pale and looked scared and surprised. "…Us?" Leviathan innocently asked.

"Yes." Odin answered. "I saw your Contra-cycle move. Both of you are going to have to grab that thing and hold it."

Ogopogo nearly passed out. "No…no way!" He stammered. "It's too big! It's too strong! It'll kill us in seconds!"

"Seconds is all I need." Odin calmly returned. "Three seconds, to be exact. Once I've finished charging up my attack to full, I need you both to go and encircle Crusader and hold it still. I would have needed you just to keep it steady while I charged, but the arrogant thing is so preoccupied with Bahamut it won't notice. I need you just to keep it steady for the three seconds. In particular, I need you to keep it from guarding its head. That will give me enough time to aim and throw it. If I can hit it in the head, the blast should kill it."

Ogopogo shook his head furiously. "Uh-uh! No! I'm not getting anywhere near that monster!"

Leviathan was pale and trembling as well. Had it been yesterday, he might have cowered and agreed with Ogopogo. However, Leviathan was already going through many life-altering changes starting that morning. As a result, somehow, some bravery was inside him to risk such a lethal move. He was nervous through and through, and also didn't want to even get in breathing range of the deformed hulk. Yet in the end, he gave a nod. "…I…I'll do it."

Ogopogo whirled to him like his head had suddenly started growing flowers. "Leviathan…!"

Though scared, the esper wasn't going to let himself be talked out of it. So he turned to Ogopogo with a calmer look instead. "Come on, Ogopogo. We got to try this. Besides, you heard what Odin said. It won't take that long and he'll destroy it before it can hurt us." With that, he turned to Odin. Mentally, he pleaded with the warrior esper to lie. "Right?"

Odin stared back. He heard Leviathan's message, but lying about dangers of battle was not in his nature. Nevertheless, he realized there would never be a chance if Ogopogo was too cowardly to even give this a shot. In the end, he tried to sound as considerate as he could. "…You'll be on your own only for the three seconds. After that, it's dead. I promise."

That was as reassuring Odin could be without lying, but Ogopogo still looked pale and nervous. "It could kill us in less than one second…" He quivered.

Leviathan groaned inwardly, but then spoke up to his brother again. "Ogopogo…this is our only shot. We're the only ones that can do this. If we don't try it, then we're all going to die anyway. We have to be brave and give it a chance."

"But…"

"Once Crusader is dead, it won't matter if we're dead or not. Phoenix can revive us."

"…I'm still…"

"Come on, Ogopogo. Please? I…we can't do this without you."

The esper continued to hesitate. It was obvious now that Ogopogo was the most cowardly of them all. He would do what Leviathan wanted, but would that serve him throughout this coming event? Or would he finally refuse to do something? Time went by a little longer, but in the end, looking reluctant and sweating all over, Ogopogo shrugged and gave a half-nod. "Oh…alright."

"About time." Odin gruffly answered. With that, he readily stepped forward, distancing himself a bit from the other espers and moving before them. When that happened, he planted his feet hard on the ground, and then turned his head behind him. "Get ready and be ready. The instant I tell you to go, get moving."

Leviathan nodded readily. Ogopogo swallowed himself. But both of them began to slide out to flank Odin on either side. Leviathan moved a bit more readily than Ogopogo, although both were quivering with fear. Only Odin and Wyvern showed no fear at this point. Wyvern "hmphed" at the sight of them, muttering something about them being dead if they had to depend on Leviathan and Ogopogo. But Odin didn't pay attention. He turned around and faced the battle, and then inhaled deeply and held his breath. He slapped both of his palms together, closed his eyes, and then uttered a single phrase…

"Gunge Lance…"

Immediately, the ground began to rumble around him. To the surprise of the others, a haze of aura began to turn around Odin as well. The warrior's muscles stretched and strained, and he grit his teeth and appeared to be focusing hard. The air grew charged around him again, only this time little sparks and bolts began to go off. The rumbling grew. Small pebbles began to levitate around him, borne along on the power and air he was summoning. Odin began to sweat, but continued to focus. Leviathan turned to him and was a bit shocked. Odin's power, or at least the power of the attack, was growing considerably. It had already surpassed Wyvern and Ashura's power. In a few more moments, if it continued to build, it would surpass Bahamut as well. But Odin merely showed his teeth and grunted as he continued to focus.

Slowly, the esper pulled his palms apart, as if some incredible force was holding them together, revealing a bright, solid, beam of energy now formed between his hands…

* * *

Bahamut swung his fist wildly at Crusader, and the thing nimbly leapt over it all together, and then seemed to hang simply in the air. He tried kicking at it next, but within the blink of an eye it was already behind Bahamut. He then tried spinning around and smacking it with his tail, but once again he hit nothing, as Crusader reappeared in front of him. Finally, he swung his fist right in front of him, but Crusader easily sidestepped it, and then gave Bahamut a backhand slap that sent the esper sailing backward.

Bahamut shot back through the air in agony for a moment, but somehow flipped over and righted himself. He quickly crouched and took off right for Crusader again, who had crossed its arms and stood plainly. Just as Bahamut got in range, the thing nimbly leapt into the air, let Bahamut sail under it, and then kicked his foot forward hard to smash into Bahamut's side. The esper heard the ribs break that time, as his kidney screamed out in pain. Bahamut collapsed to the ground at that, clutching for his side and gasping for air. But Crusader simply landed and kicked him again, this time in the throat, with another power to rip him off the ground, sending him spinning back in the air, and land on his back a few feet away. The esper hacked up blood and gasped for air.

Crusader exhaled a laugh at the esper, then calmly turned its back to him and kept its arms crossed. **"I could kill you with a wave of my hand at this point, Bahamut."** The thing murmured. **"But why would I want to deny you the slow, painful death I've been promising?"**

Bahamut lay on the ground panting for a few moments more, struggling to gain his breath. However, in the end, he quickly shot back up and onto his feet, and then swept at Crusader's legs in a flash. Yet the monster still leapt over them easily. Bahamut tried following up with a kick in the air, but Crusader quickly dodged that and was on Bahamut's other side in the blink of an eye. Quickly, the esper spun around and swung its fists at the beast, first one then the other. They connected this time, but Bahamut might as well have been punching a mountain because Crusader's head didn't move a bit when either fist hit it. Seeing the uselessness, the esper quickly jumped back again a distance. He planted his feet, extended his wings, and began to charge power once again. He focused hard and fast, causing the air to ripple around him with energy and heat, before opening his mouth and firing off another attack. "Pyron!"

Again, a series of orbs shot out of his mouth and toward the enemy. They were all blazing just as brightly as ever, but Crusader neither bothered dodging nor guarding itself. Moments later, the orbs impacted. They all pounded together and gathered into a large mass, and then erupted into the one giant explosion as before. It was just as hot and fearsome as every. The ground was torn up and debris was thrown everywhere as always, and a tower of smoke and dust came up from the site. After a bit of burning, the explosion died off again, the sky cleared, and the debris slowly began to rain down. Bahamut was panting hard now, slumped over and tired.

Yet as the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Crusader hadn't changed. The explosion seemed to form a trench around its body, and in the center it was unharmed. It didn't even looked burned and hadn't moved an inch. It was completely untouched by the attack. Bahamutonly managed to stare blankly for a moment before Crusader took off again. Within an instant, the beast was on top of him once more, and pounding its fist into Bahamut's stomach.

The esper gagged and collapsed around the fist, moments before his head snapped back as Crusader pulled up and smashed him in the face with an elbow. To finish off, the thing spun around and struck Bahamut with the back of its hand, snapping him off of the ground and sending him crashing headfirst toward it once again. The impact was so hard that he bounced and then slid across the dirt, knocking up rocks and debris as he did so, on landing. He tumbled hard for a few moments before finally stopping, and again was stuck on his back struggling to get air.

**"Finished?" **Crusader asked. **"Good. I'll kill you then."

* * *

**

Odin continued to sweat and strain as he focused. The beam between his palms had continued to lengthen the longer that he pulled them apart. Once he had reached maximum length, however, he bent his palms backward and the beam left his palm to continue to grow. Still, he strained and struggled, as if it was taking everything he had to keep it growing. It seemed like he could barely hold on to it. Leviathan tore his gaze between him and Crusader. By now, the monster was playing with Bahamut, and he knew it wouldn't be long before it would kill him. Odin had to hurry.

The esper continued to lengthen the beam, until it was bigger than he was. Then, it changed on either side. The beam seemed to enlarge in diameter a bit on both sides. On one end, it grew and then rounded itself after extending a bit, forming a "blunt" end to the beam of light. On the other, it grew wider, and then slowly tapered back in until it formed a point that was several inches long, looking like a short blade in and of itself. With that done, Odin exhaled sharply, as if he had finished doing a great work. He seemed more relaxed now, but kept his eyes closed and moved slowly and deliberately as he lowered his arms and brought them back toward the center of the beam of light. Slowly he extended them back until they were right over the middle, and then he grasped the beam itself. Amazingly, as if it was just another weapon hovering in mid-air, the beam came right out of the sky and remained in Odin's grasp. Still, the esper moved slowly as he pulled it back to his side. At last, his eyes opened.

"Get ready…"

* * *

Crusader began to hover into the air again, putting himself a distance above Bahamut. The esper himself gasped and struggled to get up from the ground, but he taken too much punishment. It wasn't possible. Instead, he looked up as best he could, trying to focus on Crusader through his blurry vision and one swollen eye. He immediately realized Crusader was preparing himself for another attack. Bahamut knew he couldn't dodge it. He didn't have the energy yet to move fast enough. He thought about trying to stop it early, but he couldn't. It was too soon after his last attack to throw out another.

Besides…he began to realize that it wouldn't be enough anyway. It would just delay the inevitable. He couldn't beat this monster.

**"Too bad, Bahamut. You tried so hard…but in the end you failed to realize your mortality versus my godhood."** The thing mocked. With that, it began to raise a hand and pointed out two fingers right at Bahamut's heart.

* * *

Most suddenly, Odin snapped the shaft, his Gunge Lance, over his head, and held it straight with one arm. He was getting ready to throw it. At that, he barked his solid order to the two waiting snake-like espers. "Now!"

Leviathan bit back his fear and terror, and then coiled down and built his power as much as possible. Then, in a flash, he sprang up and, with the aid of his own inner power, shot straight for Crusader. He didn't look back or hesitate, wanting to do this immediately. Fortunately, the thing wasn't even paying attention to them. All it focused on was Bahamut. It wasn't even seeing them coming up to get it…

_Wait a minute, them?_

A thought entered Leviathan's head, for he was still reading from the area trying to get hints. From Ogopogo he sensed a paralyzing fear. A fear so strong and terror-stricken, that he couldn't budge within it. Leviathan hesitated, but then even as he sprang forward risked looking back to seeing what was going on. Sure enough…Ogopogo hadn't moved a bit. He was only quivering there and trembling in fear.

_Ogopogo!_ Leviathan screamed at him mentally. _Come on!_

Ogopogo just stared back terrified. He wasn't even looking at Leviathan, but at Crusader, transfixed by his power and size. And on seeing that, any bravery that Ogopogo had mustered had vanished all within fractions of a second. "I…I can't…!" He quivered in fear.

Leviathan cursed mentally. In truth, he couldn't blame him. He too was stricken with terror and only forcing his body to do this. But without Ogopogo he didn't know what he could do. Odin was focusing too much. The esper couldn't hold off the attack, but had to do it now. There wasn't any time for anything else. And Ogopogo wasn't moving. The attack was ruined. A temptation fed on Leviathan's own fear at that. If the attack was already doomed, why not give into his own fear as well? Why not cower and hold back like Ogopogo did? He couldn't do anything now. Crusader would kill him, and then dodge the attack anyway… Just give up…

And yet Leviathan refused to do that. He didn't know what drove him, except perhaps knowing that futile as the situation was, it would be even more futile if they surrendered without a fight. He couldn't hold back. He had to try and do this himself. And so, he let his body continue to sail toward Crusader, and near the beast quickly. "Contra-cycle!" The esper bellowed.

* * *

Crusader looked up at this in puzzlement, and was just in time to see Leviathan lash his body around him: four times around his arms and middle, four times around his legs, and lastly lashing himself around his neck and head…struggling to keep it still for the shot. Lastly, he opened his mouth wide and bit down on the back of Crusader's head, trying to use his own powerful jaw to keep it steady. With that, he locked himself up as best he could, and then looked down and waited for Odin's attack, praying to himself that it would come soon.

**"Leviathan, you fool…"** Crusader sneered after a moment, more shocked at the attack than restrained. **"If you wanted to die first, why didn't you say so!"**

With that, Crusader snapped its head violently backward, smacking it through Leviathan's open mouth and hitting him hard in the back of the head. The blow was horrific and powerful, and Leviathan had never imagined anything so strong. The power was so great that there was a moment of euphoria, one in where he wondered if he had even been hit as stars flooded his vision. But then, pain quickly rushed in afterward, smothering all of Leviathan's senses and swirling the world into a sea of dizzying black. Leviathan's control over his body faded away, and at once he and his coils became limp. His entire body slowly slid off of Crusader's body as it slowly constricted, and moments later Bahamut extended his arms to catch Leviathan's lifeless form as he landed right on him.

But right at that moment, Odin had all the time he needed. Gritting his teeth, furious at Ogopogo for screwing up and praying that Leviathan had held Crusader long enough, the esper snapped his arm forward and hurled the Gunge Lance right at Crusader's head as hard as he possibly could. And it was fast. The attack seemed to snap like a bolt of lightning, streaking through the sky to make a great line extending from Odin right to the creature's head. It cut through the air like thunder, creating a horrible thunderclap behind it so loud that the espers had to cover their ears.

Crusader realized this in an instant, seeing the attack coming for it. But by the time it did, the attack was already nearly upon it. Even it couldn't dodge in time. And so, moments before impact…Odin watched and saw it bring both arms up and cross them in front of its head.

"No!" The esper cried.

But it was too late. The attack connected, and the horrible eruption went off. This newest attack was the most powerful one yet by far. Explosions not of fire but of light ripped off from Crusader's head. Only this attack was so focused that the explosion went directly behind it, casting up a storm of energy and power from it. The force was so great that the ground was ripped apart, and the espers cried out as they were thrown back violently distances of twenty or thirty feet, along with rocks and boulders of all sizes. Again, the sky was dark from the power of the attack and thunder raged from it. And yet, the attack was so focused that Bahamut was able to look up from his own position on the ground and watch the eruption of light come from Crusader's head from the force of Odin's attack. The esper was duly surprised. Never before had he imagined Odin possessed so much power within him. Leviathan moaned through bloody lips and began to come to, and soon he marveled at the attack as well.

At last, the smoke cleared. Half buried under the dust and debris, the espers lay like dead animals in a scattered pile a distance away from where they were. But soon, Wyvern began to pick himself up and dust off his wings. Starlet came next, cradling Phoenix within her arms. Phoenix seemed to be awake now, though still lifeless and unresponsive. Ogopogo seemed to still hide a bit under his pile, but managed to raise his head and look around. A bit brusied and with blood on his brow, Palad picked himself up last. No one had time to shelter him from the blast, but he seemed ok. They all looked up and looked to see what had happened. Immediately, on doing so, Odin grit his teeth in anger as his heart sank.

Crusader still lived, unmoved from its old position. That wasn't to say it wasn't hurt. No, on the contrary…it now had two bloody holes through both of its arms. The attack had gone right through them. As for its helmet, part of it had melted away and the residue now ran down between its eyes. A nasty, bloody wound was on the bare skin underneath, deep and oozing blood down over its entire face. And yet, its eyes were not glazed but filled with fury. Anger and rage radiated off of it beyond belief now, so strong that the evil power seemed to increase throughout the entire world. Crusader was alive and angrier than ever.

"Damn it…" Odin cursed. "I can't do that attack again… So close…"

The ground began to quake around the esper, tremoring from the growing rage of Crusader. Its muscles bulged with anger as it glared madly at its wounds, watching the blood drip. **"You…"** It hissed angrily. **"You dare…to strike me! Nothing has ever done this much damage to me…"** It continued to fume in mid-air, as the air grew charged again in its rage. The espers cringed, fearing the worst would come. Slowly, the thing turned and glared not at Bahamut or Odin, but at all the espers gathered together on the ground.

**"Enough! You die now!" **It snapped. With that, it swung its head down furiously at them, as if throwing something off that at them. **"Crimson Horn!"**

The wind seemed to cease and the air grew stagnant as light gathered around in the air. It was not soft or pleasant light before, but a burning blood red light.It came together and solidified, growing into a pure red color, and condensed into one point that was around the horn over Crusader's own head. But no sooner had it all collected there than it went off again. Itformed itself into a large, burning ring of light. Once that was done, it sailed off of the horn of the monster and then began to fly straight toward the group of espers below. It enlarged and grew bigger, large enough to affect an area of ground over where they were, and sailed toward them. Immediately, the espers scattered.

Wyvern dove out of the way immediately. Odin seized the paralyzed Ogopogo by the back of the neck, leapt across the field, seized Palad with his other hand, and then ran for it too. That only left Starlet and Phoenix behind. The former stared at the incoming ring, watching it burn and glow and near. She was holding Phoenix, and couldn't get away with her. And so, after hesitating for a moment, she spun around, shielded as much of Phoenix with her body as possible, and waited for the attack to hit.

However, Phoenix had recovered a tiny bit, and she would have none of it. Despite her strength being gone, somehow she managed to find enough to spring to life. She spun around in a somersault, ripped Starlet off her feet, and then used any reserves she still had to throw her sister out of the blast zone as fast as she could. Starlet hit the ground hard, and Phoenix immediately collapsed as well. Starlet couldn't look back, but the others did, staring at Phoenix in fear…realizing she couldn't dodge it now and no one was left to help her.

"No…" Bahamut whispered.

But it was too late. The ring hit. Immediately, a blaring sound like a foul cry went through the air, and the red light erupted as if it was an explosion in and of itself. It had a deal of wind with it, and whipped some rocks and debris around. The light itself spread out over a slightly larger area, although it hit nothing new, and then dissipated after its shining forth. And yet, it seemed to do no damage even over the center of its area. Phoenix was face flat on the ground now, letting the red light wash over her and penetrate her and cover her.

And yet, as the attack went away, as the sky returned to normal, and as sound returned to the area, nothing seemed different. The espers looked hopefully to Phoenix, and sure enough the esper opened her eyes and began to look around a bit. Nothing had happened at all. Only Crusader, hovering above, seemed to be unchanged and satisfied with the result.

Wyvern snorted. "That didn't do anything."

Leviathan swallowed a bit. "Maybe…" He weakly ventured. "It's been weakened…by Odin's attack."

In response to that, the group received a cold and chilling laugh from up above. They all looked overhead, in time to see Crusader looking darker and more malicious than ever. They didn't like that look or that sound, and anxiety soon gripped them.

**"You poor fools. I wouldn't expect you to know the nature of my attack…although I know all about yours. Yes…even if I didn't know already that Phoenix had the power to revive you, I saw it for myself while I was playing with Bahamut. But I digress…I assure you that the attack accomplished its purpose. My Crimson Horn attack marks one for death. Bit by bit, now, even as your Phoenix lies there, her blood begins to heat up. Soon it will boil…and then it will burst into flame and consume both her and your only chance of living through this encounter. She will be dead in three minutes, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."**

The greatest amount of horror yet struck the espers. Each one of them felt their hearts turn cold. The sky had seemed to grow still again, and Crusader's last words hung on the air. None of them had ever expected this. None of them had felt the burden of being faced with death since Phoenix revealed her ability. But now, shock paralyzed their muscles and froze their faces in icy stares. Starlet herself looked down to Phoenix, even as the firebird looked up in surprise at her own standing.

"No…" She murmured.

**"You'll be joining her soon enough." **The thing snapped. **"You've been holding up pretty well so far. But I'm not going to wait for you to do another one of those attacks. Now face my fourth form."**

**

* * *

**

To be continued...


	19. Battle Royale

The espers were understandably shocked, and feeling more hopeless by the minute. Already, Odin believed it was over. The Gunge Lance had been their only chance. Now he knew that Crusader would ascend to another form and crush them. Even if he could make another, considering Crusader's growing strength it still wouldn't be enough. As for the others, they gaped and felt weak. Defeat and despair was dwelling on them. They couldn't even escape now. Everything seemed over.

Crusader, for its part, balled its hands into fists again as it continued to hover in the sky. Again, it grit its teeth, and began to focus. The skyturned into a grim gray color even darker than the cloudy sky. Afterward, the clouds seemed to rush in over the opening or at least gather over it. Thunder began to rumble, and small bolts of lightning began toform. The windbecame more forceful, and the charge in the air grew so strong that Starlet began to feel her hair raise up. Rocks, no longer pebbles, began to rise off the ground from the new power, despite Crusader hovering high above them. Again the thing glowed, and almost seemed to burst into gold flame now as the new fires enveloped it. The espers stared in terror, wondering how much more horrible the thing could become.

Slowly, the wounds closed up that were inflicted on Crusader as its power grew. Its helmet smoothed itself out and the metal seeped over to close itself again. All damage was gone, and still the thing focused. Its muscles bulged again. The veins within its skin stuck straight out and seemed ready to rip off its bones. The thing grunted, making a deep sound in its throat. To the espers' confusion, it sounded almost as if it was hacking up. But then something else happened. The neck began to bulge more than the body. It started to practically grow, rising up from the bottom as if something huge was moving from it, far thicker than the diameter of Crusader's head. The thing rocked its head back, and continued to make the deep-throated sound. Despite quivering from all its focusing, it raised a hand to its helmet and pushed back the bucket head. What it revealed wasits horrible, circular mouth, pierced together and seeming to struggle to hold itself closed. Only now its cheeks began to bulge under the stress of the neck. It looked very much like it was going to spit something out.

Then, at that moment, that was just what it did.

The thing opened its gaping mouth, and out tumbled a huge body. It was gray and shining, like with scales or armor, but it slid right out of Crusader's mouth like it was some sort of chute, and landed right in front of the creature. It touched down on mid-air and began to hover. Right after spitting it out, Crusader moved to one side. The thing remained where it was. The espers looked over it a moment, seeing the spikes on it, its own burly body, and noticing one long curved spike alongside its head… At that, they all recognized it immediately.

"That's…its courage form!" Ogopogo yelped.

"What in the world…" Wyvern murmured.

Indeed, now there were two Crusaders in front of them, the power form and the courage form. However, the courage form wasted no time. Soon, it reeled back as well and began to heave too. Its own neck bulged under its armor and the sections of it threatened to break. It raised up quivering hands to its helmet and pulled them aside, revealing a dark, cavernous mouth with no lips but horrid, jagged teeth. It kept heaving and buckling itself for a while as it grew larger, before the thing likewise spat out before it. This time, a golden-haired, golden-armored, flawless woman slid out of its mouth and plopped into the air before it. Right after doing so, it flew over to another side. The woman, on her part, cracked her neck and her knuckles.

"And the wisdom form…" Leviathan mused, looking at the new arrival. Strange how villainous she had become at this point. Leviathan now clearly saw that the same pulsing evil that ran through the other two ran through her. It was typical, because they were one and the same. He almost cursed himself for not seeing it before. Indeed, she would never look fair or kind to him again.

But that didn't change the fact that now there were three Crusaders before them: wisdom, courage, and power. And all three were now acting independently. The courage form readily pulled out the Mortsuken again. The power form cracked its own knuckles again. The wisdom form hovering in front of the other two, arms crossed. A dark chuckle escaped from its lips, and when it did it immediately escaped from the other two as well. They were all talking in perfect unison.

**"I told you we were three pieces of one whole."** The three Crusaders, or perhaps the single entity that united the Crusaders, spoke. **"You were all struggling against one of us. Now you must endure us all. At this point, Bahamut is so weak it would only take our courage form to kill you all, but now any chance you had of victory has been obliterated. We suggest you all mount whatever pitiful strategy you can think of together. Killing you one by one would be too easy now."**

The espers didn't know what to do now. Bahamut felt an amazing amount of power radiating off of all of them. He didn't know if they had any options left. At this point, perhaps it would be simpler just to surrender…

"Mount this!"

Bahamut and the others were distracted by this sudden yell, and looked to the source. Abruptly, Wyvern had taken off like a shot straight for the Crusaders. His target this time was the central one, the wisdom form. Bahamut watched the next events closely. He saw that while the power form and the courage form turned and watched him coming, the wisdom form kept her confident smile and didn't move. At first he thought they were expecting this, that they would counter him the moment he got there. But that proved false. The moment Wyvern reached the wisdom form, he hooked her across the face as hard as he could.

To Bahamut's intrigue, the wisdom form promptly had her smile wiped off her face as it turned to jelly. The fiend was knocked out of the sky as if she was another opponent from Wyvern's blow. Seeing that, the other Crusaders turned their looks to anger, and didn't allow Wyvern to enjoy his victory long. The courage form quickly shot forward in front of Wyvern even more quickly, and pounded the esper in the stomach to double him over. That done, he brought both fists down on his neck to send him flying to the ground. A moment later, the esper crashed hard against it, knocking up more rocks and dust and forming a small crater. He groaned as he landed, and only slowly picked himself up.

The wisdom form managed to pull herself back, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip as she did so. **"You idiots just don't know when to stop pissing us off, do you!"** They all hissed.

However, Bahamut now had an idea. Quickly, he set Leviathan off to one side, and then picked up his own sore body as fast as he could. He quickly sent out a mental message to all the espers.

_Guys…Wyvern has just shown me that this might not be as hopeless as it looks. Their combined power is stronger than anything we've encountered yet, but their separate powers are the same as they were in each form. Wyvern was able to give the wisdom form a serious blow, indicating that that one is just as strong as it was before. _

_I'm weak, but I'll take the courage form. Wyvern, you're good enough to take the wisdom form by yourself. …I don't think all of us combined are strong enough to take the power form, but the rest of you have to try and keep it busy. We have to give it a shot. I know some of you might be scared…but if we give in to fear now any chance of winning we had will be lost._

However, a quick reply went up against that, coming from Leviathan.

_What about Phoenix, Bahamut? What about what that thing said? We have to try to do something for her, if it told the truth!_

Bahamut hesitated at that. That was a problem. He turned to Phoenix. The firebird was still laying on the ground, looking as weak as before. But that was a moot point. She could either be weakening or still look drained after Wyvern. What if it had told the truth? What if she was dying? What could they do for her now? Crusader hadn't bluffed yet…and if she died… If she died it would be more than losing their ways of reviving themselves. They'd lose their sister…

But in that moment of doubt, Phoenix's voice sounded in their heads.

_It…it's alright, everyone. She…he…it…they were bluffing. If you think…I'm in trouble…it's just because…I'm still tired from reviving Wyvern. That attack…it was out of power. It did nothing. Odin's attack had weakened it too much. The rest of you…fight that creature and kill it…_

Bahamut had no time to be amazed that Phoenix's own mental power had developed. She risked calling to her. _Phoenix…are you sure? Are you sure you feel fine? Nothing different?_

_Yes. I'm fine._

_I don't want to lose you. None of us do. If anything is wrong… We'll try to help. You can't die!_

_Bahamut…to be perfectly honest…if you all don't stop worrying about me and fight we'll _all_ die._

The others hesitated for a moment longer. They were still unwilling, and Bahamut wondered whether or not Phoenix was telling the truth. But what could they do if she wasn't? She was right, they would all die if they didn't fight back now. Perhaps he would have kept hesitating, but just at that moment, Wyvern suddenly sprung back to life. Giving a yell, he shot up from the ground and straight for the wisdom form again, then proceeded to smash her in the face once more.

The decision was made at that. Quickly, Bahamut took off as well. "Go!" He yelled.

* * *

Palad slowly picked himself up from behind a boulder. He groaned a bit and rubbed his head, which still hurt even after being protected by the helmet. His body was bruised now, and as he looked down to his side, he saw something in his thigh. An especially sharp stone had become lodged there. It wasn't deep, but Palad nevertheless made the mistake of lowering his hand and yanking it out. Though nothing vital was hit, it began to bleed badly, and he snapped his head back and howled in pain. His cry was barely heard over the claps of thunder beyond him, where Bahamut, Crusader, and the others were now engaged in battle. He instead lowered his hand and grasped his leg hard, trying to stave off the pain. But even as he did so, he heard a voice.

"Palad…"

The youth forgot about his injury at that, and raised his head in an inquisitive gesture. Shortly in front of him, he saw Phoenix, still laying on the ground from where she was. She looked a bit strained, and seeing her Palad's heart filled with fear. Immediately, he yanked himself over the boulder, wincing a bit as he irritated his bleeding wound, but then ran/hobbled over to the fallen firebird. Once he reached her, he bent down next to her head. Her eyes were closed, and she had a pained expression on her face. But she was alive.

"Phoenix!" He announced. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Palad…listen to me." The firebird cut off. Her voice was strong and steadfast, if not a little strained. "I want you to do something."

"Sure…sure, Phoenix!" Palad immediately assented. "But are you alright? Can you get up?"

"No…let me lay here…" Phoenix answered.

But on hearing that, Palad thought of what he had heard Griever say. That filled his heart with fear. His eyes grew large, and he felt his insides quiver. "Phoenix…he didn't… You're alright, aren't you? I mean…"

"Palad…do as I say…"

But the boy only began to quiver the more, seeing her like that. It couldn't be. Phoenix couldn't really be dying… His eyes started to fill with tears. His lip trembled.

But at this, Phoenix managed to open her eye. She gazed right at Palad with an unnatural power and force. A ferociousness and vibrance was in her one piercing eye, and she would not yield it. The boy was caught in mid-sob, and froze. "Palad, now is not the time to cry." She stated, for the first time ever refusing to allow Palad to pour out his emotions in front of her. "You must learn a lesson that I am learning myself. No matter how much you want, people you love are going to one day perish. But you must press on, because they love you and they want you to live and continue where they could not. And some times you will have to lay grieving aside for the sake of doing good while you still can. And now is one of those times. In the future, you will have to be brave when others falter. You are going to have to lead many, and this will be demanded of you. But today is the first time it will be required. Palad, right now I need you to do what I say no matter what or no matter what you feel. Can you?"

The boy quivered for a long time. He stared at his friend, and was unable to move. But as she spoke, she encouraged him. He swallowed hard, and managed to raise his hands to his eyes. He thought of his own family and village, and the pain that had befallen them. And he thought of Bahamut and Phoenix and the others, and how they were pressing on to try and help him and the rest of the humans. He wanted to be like them so badly…to be strong as they were and brave against the monsters. But now, he realized exactly what it meant to be courageous in danger. He sniffled once, but then made his own face resolute, and gave Phoenix a nod.

Phoenix closed her eye again, but gave him a smile. "Good boy…" She told him. "Now here's what you must do, odd as it sounds. Strip me."

The boy's sternness vanished and was replaced with puzzlement. "Huh?"

"Pluck as much of my down and pinions as you can manage." The esper answered. "Gather up as much of it as you can, but make sure to get off as much as you can. There's not much time."

"But…why-"

"Palad…just do it."

The boy hesitated a long time after doing so. He looked over her body, and saw all of Phoenix's splendid feathers. He loved the way they looked like living flame. But now, he did not know what she meant by all of this, or what this was supposed to do. He swallowed again, unsure of how to proceed. But he remembered what Phoenix wanted, and finally, he inched his hands up and over to her side. He lowered his hand, and rubbed it along her soft feathers. He had done this a hundred times before. But never had he thought to take them from her. He looked longingly up to her face again, hoping she would reconsider. She did not, and in the end he looked back down to her side. Finally, his trembling fingers grasped a handful of the feathers.

"Jerk hard…or they won't come off…" Phoenix warned, keeping her eyes closed as if in expectation.

Palad swallowed, looked back to the feathers, and trembled. But then, bolstering his courage, he mightily ripped down, and with a horrible sound, yanked a handful of down off of Phoenix's body.

The boy was shocked to see the bare flesh underneath, but more shocked as Phoenix stiffened and grit her beak. She was obviously in pain. The boy recoiled and dropped the down, as if he had just committed a crime. Phoenix held a moment, gasped after doing so, but then managed to relax again.

"More." She stated.

"I…I don't…"

"More!"

Phoenix was ordering him now. Palad trembled and swallowed. But then, he grasped another handful, hesitated, and ripped off another. Again Phoenix buckled, but not as hard this time.

"More." She said between a clenched beak.

Palad was mortified at her pain, and more disgusted at the pale naked flesh beneath. But he obeyed her and grasped another handful, ripping it out again. As he continued, his eyes filled with tears of anguish while Phoenix's eyes filled with tears of agony.

* * *

A powerful blow from Crusader's wisdom form smashed Wyvern in the face, but he snapped his head back up soon enough, and swung around to slap her across her own cheek with his tail. This one affected the creature more, but she soon righted herself. Luckily, Wyvern was just in time to punch her across the face in one way, then flip around and punch her again. That was all before he inhaled deeply, focused his power for a moment, and then discharged a Pyrin point-blank in her face. The impact sent the wisdom form flying back, and Wyvern quickly flexed his wings out, and prepared to dive to go after her…

When the courage form's own foot shot through the sky and pounded him in the side of his head. Like a dead leaf on a tree, Wyvern was ripped out of the air and sent hurtling through the sky. The courage form righted itself, but had little time to gloat as the roaring, seething Bahamut shot forward and thrust both of his feet into the small of the armored creature's back. The thing recoiled in pain, but Bahamut wasn't done. Still pushing, the esper shoved the courage form out of the sky and began to send him hurtling to the ground. He kept pushing, while the courage form kept flailing out his arms and legs, until he touched down right on the rock face. Bahamut kept pushing, and drove the courage form's body right into the ground with the power of his legs. He quickly leapt off the moment after doing so, however, for in an instant Crusader flipped back up, and struggled to drive his helmeted head back into the esper. However, he soon swung around, and began to swipe his sword at the dodging esper again, who with great difficulty was able to narrowly escape him…

Ogopogo and Leviathan struggled to hold the power form's arms back. As they did, Odin tore forward and swung Zantetsuken furiously at its helmet. Starlet rushed in and pounded as hard as she could against its body. But the power form merely allowed them to do this. An energy wave around it kept Odin from getting even a scratch in, and it merely allowed Starlet to attack it as much as she wanted. In the end, it simply swung its arms together to smash the heads of Leviathan and Ogopogo together, then held two fingers out to perform another Mort-Kelvin on the two espers assaulting it. One beam tore right through Starlet's shoulder, causing her to cry out and having her fall to the ground. As for Odin, he deflected the beam with his sword, but the power was still so great that he was pushed back to the ground. The power form snickered, and then slowly began to walk after its prey, taking its time with the weaker espers…

* * *

Palad was disgusted and nauseated to look at the body of Phoenix now. She had lost almost half of her feathers. Above them, impacts from hits continued to flood below, causing Palad's clothes to whip one way and another and blasting him with rocks. The fight was raging though it wasn't doing too well. However, as Palad finished his latest handful, Phoenix finally spoke up.

"Alright Palad…that's enough…"

The boy gratefully stopped. He looked down at Phoenix's poor body, and wondered why he had to do such a thing. However, he also noticed Phoenix didn't look too well. She was breathing hard now, and sprawled out on the ground weakly. She looked like she could barely move. Seeing this, Palad's eyes filled with concern.

"Phoenix…are you alright?"

"…No, Palad…" Phoenix finally responded, her face beaming a small smile. She spoke weakly, and began to look very tired and frail.

Palad's eyes, however, filled with fear. "Oh no…hang on, Phoenix! I can make more elixir…"

"That…can't save me now…Palad…" Phoenix softly responded. "Nothing can… I'm dying… I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I needed you and the others to focus on what had to be done…"

Immediately, Palad's eyes filled with tears. His body quivered violently. He seized what he could of Phoenix's neck and shook her violently. "No!" He exclaimed. "No! You can't die! Get up! Get up, Phoenix!"

Phoenix merely smiled at Palad softly even as he tugged on her violently, struggling to get her to rise. Eventually, knowing his effort was worth nothing, Palad fell down at her side and began to sob bitterly. But on seeing that, Phoenix managed to speak further, more slowly than before.

"Palad…don't grieve… I knew…that all of us could die here… This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to die if it would give you a chance at life…my sweet little pet…"

Palad continued to sniffle and sob, but Phoenix managed to raise a wing and place it on Palad's shoulder. The youth looked up and sniffled, staring at her longingly.

"Please…please don't die."

"Take what you've taken from me, Palad…" Phoenix went on. "Use it for your friends and family… Just as I was able to help you before…you can help people now… Even one of my feathers will make a person recover from a fatal wound…"

"B-B-But…some blew away…"

"It's alright…by and by…you or others will find them…"

"Don't go Phoenix… I love you."

"I love you too, Palad… That is why I'm glad I could give this one last gift…" The firebird's eyes began to dim. Her voice was failing. All movement in her body was ceasing, and Palad's shower of tears could do nothing for her. Finally, she rested her head again, and let her wing lay on Palad's shoulder.

"Stay…alive…"

Phoenix exhaled once more…and then never again.

Palad again collapsed on her side and wept bitterly.

* * *

A powerful lightning bolt ripped through Odin's frame again. The warrior esper cried out in agony before his smoldering body was once again dropped. Moments later, a bloody, burned Starlet smashed down on top of him, looking like she had been thrown at him. There they lay on the ground, amid the beaten Ogopogo and Leviathan, already unable to move and out of energy to perform any more Aqua-jects.

Wyvern flew opposite Crusader's Wisdom form, panting hard, blood dripping from his mouth, and looking tired. The Wisdom form panted and looked much the same. A bit away from them, Bahamut, one eye beaten shut, two teeth missing, and one of his arms barely working, hovered in front of a much more able and fit-looking Courage form. Unfortunately, his worst fears had proved correct. If he had been at maximum, he would have had a chance. But as it was his power was almost gone. He could only hover there and breathe heavily at the moment.

Yet at that second, the espers in the sky as well as the parts of Crusader froze. Bahamut himself halted, for he felt a passage of energy. He turned his head to the source immediately, his eyes filling with surprise and shock. When he did, his gaze soon rested on Palad, weeping bitterly…over a half-plucked, great firebird. He sensed no life from it. The mental patterns had ceased. Seeing her, however, it took him only a moment to recognize what had happened. His heart sank. A cold knot went into his chest. All the earlier fears from before came back, and his mindwas again filled with terrible, terrible dread.

Crusader's parts and Wyvern looked as well. However, the wicked monster laughed from all three of its mouths darkly.

**"I told you it was inevitable."**

Phoenix was dead.

For a moment, Bahamut was mortified in horror, unable to do anything but stare at what had happened. Disbelief washed over him again. It was real this time. One of them was dead, and dead for good now. There wouldn't be any coming back. Phoenix, their sister, had gone. She had passed completely now, and had no way of returning. One of them had finally died without a chance of coming back. However, somehow in the midst of that, Bahamut remembered Crusader's earlier words…

Immediately, Bahamut glared at Palad and screamed at him. "Palad! Get away from Phoenix! NOW!"

Palad, eyes still filled with tears, looked up in shock to Bahamut. Perhaps it was his vulnerable state. Perhaps it was because Bahamut was filled with commanding rage that literally shook the rubble around them. But for whatever reason, Palad got up and sprung away from Phoenix. It was just in time too. For at that moment, as Wyvern and Bahamut looked on, and the other espers began to recover to look as well, Phoenix's skin split open. Moments later, molten fire began to drip from the wounds. It was only in a few places at first, but then it quickly moved throughout the rest of the body. The flames, on leaving, quickly ran over the rest of the flesh. They spread and leapt up, creating more fire and more flames. Soon, the entire body was burning. The horrible smell of burning flesh began to arise from the corpse. And over it all, Crusader grinned wickedly and laughed from all three mouths.

Hearing that horrible, merciless laugh…hearing the malice and evil in it…was more than Bahamut's confidence could bear. He had held himself in check so far, but no more. Furiously, he whirled around and glared at Crusader. "You damned bastard!" He cursed…for the first time as passionately as he could remember. "How could you! What kind of monster are you!"

Crusader merely grinned in reply, though they stopped laughing. **"Little Bahamut, you haven't seen anything yet. Look again."**

Bahamut angrily turned and looked back down, as did the other espers. But to their shock, something new was happening. The flames were dying out. They were fading into smoke and disappearing. What more, what they were burning didn't become ash, but disappeared as well. It all vanished within a matter of moments, and soon there weren't remains or flames left behind. The heat faded, and everything went away until nothing was left laying where Phoenix had been…save one thing.

A rough crystal, covered with rock and seeming to be very crude, remained in the place where Phoenix had been. However, rough as it was, it gleamed powerfully. It shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, and looked beautiful and precious. I seemed to almost have a life of its own. It sat there and shined on wonderfully, and on looking at it…Bahamut felt his memories of Phoenix ease. For some reason, looking into that shine made him feel like he did whenever he looked at Phoenix in her best moments. It filled him with joy and peace. He could have stared at it for ages…until Crusader's pityless voice broke out.

**"That is what remains of an esper after passing, a shard of magicite."** The things explained darkly. **"All of Phoenix's essence is contained in it. That was another reason we wanted to kill her first. Now that we know of her resurrecting powers, she'll be of much use to us…"**

Immediately, Wyvern and Bahamut snapped around to the thing.

"What are you talking about?" Wyvern demanded.

Crusader grinned wickedly. **"Magicite contains all the powers of the esper it came from. With her power, we will gain mastery over death and mortality in all forms. Even if there was a being who could ever destroy us, which there isn't, we will surpass that too and become immortal."**

Bahamut's eyes bulged in shock.

"What!" Wyvern hissed.

Crusader chuckled. **"Little children…the same will soon happen to you. You thought you'd come here to kill us, but in the end you will only make us stronger."**

The monster laughed again, chilling Bahamut to the bone…but also filling him with more rage than before. He couldn't believe how many things had gone wrong…how hopeless the situation grew with each second. But he also refused to accept it now. He refused to acknowledge any of it. He couldn't let the beast win now. He couldn't!

"You're a demon and a murderer…" Bahamut fumed, clenching his fists in anger. "I don't care what I have to do…I will kill you today. I was doing it to defend the humans before, but now I'm also doing it to make sure you never desecrate my sister who was worth more than you'll ever be."

Crusader sneered slightly. **"Don't dare compare us with that mite, fool."** But after saying that, the thing grinned more widely than before. **"But just how do you plan to do all this? Your siblings have fallen. The only one left now is your brother Wyvern. But that will end soon."**

Wyvern perked up at that. Unfortunately, he still didn't see the power form practically vanish from his position, and suddenly reappear right behind the esper. The reptilian being noticed this, and began to turn around in shock and surprise. But before he could get far, a hand shot out and chopped Wyvern on the side of the neck. A tremendous hitting sound was heard, and the esper gagged and spat out blood in response. His eyes widened and developed an empty look. Then, like a dead fish, he collapsed and fell. His body struck the ground and crumpled into a heap, and moved no more.

Down below, Odin and Starlet had managed to get up, bloody and broken as they were. They rose and stared in shock at the new sight. Hopelessness was filling their eyes as well. Meanwhile, Crusaders three parts gathered together and hovered before Bahamut. They crossed their arms and grinned wickedly.

**"Now it is just you and us, Bahamut."** The creatures chortled. **"No friends left to delay the inevitable. I see you have been thinking about your little Megapyrin for quite a while. Yes, I've been reading your mind rather clearly this whole time. You must see it as your only chance left."** Suddenly, their voices turned mockingly concerned.** "Well now, how long would it take you to charge it?"**

Bahamut glared darkly at the things. Yet in the end, he managed to give a halfhearted smile. "To get it to my most powerful point, I need five minutes."

The beasts smiled and chuckled. **"In that case, let's see what you can do in one minute. I might as well have you go out with a bang. This is the only chance I'll ever get to see how much I can endure. Am I not a fair fighter?"** The things laughed even more darkly at this.

Leviathan and Ogopogo began to writhe and get up again. However, to Odin it didn't really matter. None of them could do anything. He could only stare hopelessly and wait for the death that was sure to come within moments. Starlet looked at him intently, and then turned and looked to the sky.

"There has to be something…anything we can do!" Starlet insisted. Her own eyes filled with tears of anguish, overwrought at what had happened. "We can't just let Phoenix have died for nothing!"

"There's nothing we can do." Odin flatly responded. "Not even the Gunge Lance could help now. It's all over."

**"Thirty seconds, Bahamut."**

The serpent espers were up now. They quickly surveyed the situation. They gasped to see that Phoenix was dead. Palad, confused and hurt looking, sat nearby and watched the magicite and everything else. Wyvern was still in a heap. It would take a while for him to recover from an injury like that. As they sat there, however, they saw Palad look around. His eyes eventually saw Wyvern. He hesitated a moment, then, after seeming to think of something, he got up and began to move to Wyvern. None of the espers noticed that much. They were too busy focused on the fight, and their end. Everything seemed over now. They felt as if all was up.

"We're doomed…" Ogopogo whined. "We should run…get as far away as we can…"

Odin fumed in anger inwardly. In his mind, it was very well Ogopogo's fault that they were all going to die. If he had held Crusader, they might have lived. Now all was over. However, he kept a straight voice. "There's nowhere to run. Crusader could annhilate the continent now to destroy us."

"I can't believe it's over…after everything…" Starlet spoke breathlessly.

In the air, Crusader grinned widely. **"Times up, Bahamut. Let's see what you've got."**

However, Bahamut did nothing immediately. But then, he cracked his strange little smile again. In fact, he even chuckled a little. The Crusaders frowned at this.

**"What are you laughing about, insect?"**

"Just that your mind reading is a little off." Bahamut calmly answered. "You thought that I was thinking about using my Megapyrin our entire fight. In reality…I've been _charging_ it."

Crusader's six eyes bulged in shock.

The espers gaped.

"No way…" Odin exhaled. "Could he have mastered that much control of his power?"

It seemed so, for at that moment, Bahamut tensed up his whole body and balled his hands into fists. His mouth opened, and revealed a glorious, shining light from within. Orbs of energy shot into it more freely than before. Thunder cracked. A crater gathered at Bahamut's feet. The sky began to turn black, and the power that Bahamut summoned was far beyond anything they had seen yet. The espers shielded themselves, feeling terrible heat and power from the blast. They couldn't withstand it. As for Crusader, they gaped in shock. Immediately, they crossed themselves and braced for the blast. It was too late to run, however. Bahamut abruptly released, and the attack went out.

As before, the deadly wave of powerful exploding balls shot forward. The huge mass of energystruckall Crusaders at once. The light was blinding, even more hot and fiery than before. It tore right through the things, and immediately enveloped them in energy and fire. The huge wave rushed by, and the orbs hit the three one after the other. One by one they all exploded, one after another. Bahamut pushed and strained. His muscles bulged. His eyes enlarged. His neck was ripped back and looked like it would snap. But still he breathed the terrible energy of death, and it only continued to come and pour. The monsters could even be seen anymore. They were bathed in too much energy. The power was simply too great for them to withstand, until at last the biggest explosion of all ripped out, and everything vanished into a cloud of flame.

The espers shielded themselves again as a firestorm raged over their heads. The heat was so powerful that they all began to sweat. Even with eyes closed they could still see fiery red light. It seemed to take forever, but eventually it did fade. And when it did, the fire vanished, and the clear open sky moved in. The cool air returned and flooded the espers. They continued to cringe for a few moments more. But then, they slowly pulled down their hands and arms. They timidly looked up, and looked to see what had happened. Inside, they all prayed and hoped for the best.

When they looked up, they saw Bahamut weakly lowering. The poor esper looked drained of life. His wings barely kept him up enough to let him descend, and the rest of his body was limp and all but lifeless. When he landed, he immediately slumped onto all fours. Sweat poured out from his brow and saturated the ground, and he gagged and breathed hard, struggling to get his breath. Indeed, he had put everything possible into that attack, not to mention had focused hard to be able to keep fighting and absorbing energy for the attack. The result had taxed him to his limits. Every muscle burned. His insides felt on fire. He had to rest.

The espers looked up again, toward where Bahamut had blasted. But all they saw was a cloud of black smoke. It was billowing away and slowly clearing, but it was still taking some time. They prayed and crossed their fingers. If anything had happened…anything at all…even an injury serious enough to make Crusader retreat for now. That would be something. Then maybe there was hope. They could get Bahamut an elixir. They could hide. They could do something…anything…

At last, the smoke did clear. The black plumes vanished, and what was left began to take shape. On seeing it, the espers fearful hearts again turned to ice. Bahamut, weakly looking up from the ground, felt like collapsing.

All three forms were still there.

The attack had been costly, that much was true. The horrible, deformed head of the Power form was visible. It was like a great slab with insane, monstrous red eyes and a leech-like, cavernous mouth. Its helmet had been burned away, and most of its body had sustained third degree burns. It had taken most of the punishment, and looked the least easy about moving. The Courage form wasn't much better. Its body was sizzling from its armor having melted on it, and it looked in terrible pain too. Most of the Wisdom form's clothes were gone. Its eyebrows and front hair were gone too. Combined with the mad look, the Wisdom form finally matched the outside with the wicked inside. They were all burned horribly, bleeding in several spots. But worst of all…they looked positively enraged.

**"Damn you…_damn you…DAMN YOU!_" **The monsters bellowed. Their voice was like thunder at the end of the world. The sky actually darkened again with its talking. The air grew charged, and the voice of doom shook the ground horribly. **"Damned…insignificant…bastard offspring of this wretched, wretched world…! How dare you…pitiful…pathetic…weaklings…how dare you hurt us! HOW DARE YOU! Damn you! Damn the wretched Planet you were spawned from! We hate you…We hate you…_We hate you…WE HATE YOU!_"**

The things paused, fuming in insidious rage. The things looked more monstrous, terrible, and ferocious than ever now. Until this point, Crusader had only been playing around with them. Now they were genuinely mad. Never before had the espers seen anything so enraged. It terrified them. It filled them with fear and doubt…especially since all that Bahamut's strongest attack had ended up doing was making them madder than ever. Bloodlust was in their eyes and venom was on their lips. Hate fueled them more by the second.

**"That does it!"** The things spat. **"We were willing to be merciful… We were willing to deal with the Planet's miserable little children and rear them as we could…but no more! This insult will never be forgiven! We will never forgive anything on this Planet for spawning such things to insult the greatness of Griever! We will unite and become one! Then, after we have blasted you all into nothingness…and rid the Planet of its miserable human race…"** The things inhaled deeply, showing their fathomless loathing.

**"…We will destroy the Planet _itself!_"**

**

* * *

**

To be continued...


	20. Last Chance

Crusader wasted little time.

The espers only had a few moments to stare.They knew that they were spawned from the Planet, and the thought of something destroying it as well terrified them. But then, Crusader began to react.

The Courage form suddenly looked up, and over to the Wisdom form. On seeing it, the Wisdom form smiled and gave a nod of acknowledgement. The Courage form then spread out his arms, as if accepting something, and the Wisdom form took off, sailing straight for him. Bahamut saw this. Somehow, he put two and two together, and realized that if what Crusader said was true, then the three forms had to be combined into a single one. And he realized that was what they were trying to do right now.

Despite being out of power, Bahamut somehow took off. Desperate to do anything, he sailed straight for the two forms approaching each other, headed right for the Courage form. However, he saw him coming far in advance. As he reached him,the Courage form suddenly swung an arm back and backhanded Bahamut hard. The blow sounded like thunder, and Bahamut was soon swatted out of the sky like a bug. His lifeless body sailed to the ground, and soon smashed against it. Rocks and dust flew up everywhere as he pounded a small crater into it.

**"Stay out of this, Bahamut!"** They hissed. **"Your turn to die will come shortly! Until then, witness a power beyond your wildest dreams…or darkest nightmares!"**

Bahamut slowly began to pull himself back up, although looking more broken and beaten than ever. But now, the two forms were unhindered. The Wisdom form shot straight for the Courage form. Finally, as it reached the thing, the Wisdom form spun around, and then backed itself into the Courage form. The two touched moments later. Immediately,a new thing took place. The Wisdom form seemed to stretch and pull. It spread out, and began to be pulled into pieces. Its arms and legs were tucked in, but its torso was pulled back. After a few moments, it became obvious how. The body was being pulled into the cracks of the Courage form. It seemed as if the skin, clothes, and everything else was being pulled into the chinks of the armor. The sickening effect continued. The entire body was stretched and pulled in, as if it was seepingthrough mud. The thing spread out and lost its contours and features, becoming almost like an amorphous blob as it went in. But it continued to be drawn inward.Finally, it did turn into nothing but a fleshy mass, and was drawn in as liquid is drawn into the ground it is poured. With that, the Wisdom form disappeared, and the Courage form flexed.

The form held only a moment. Then, in a roar, the thing cried out. A crater again formed, this time underneath the new Crusader. It filled the ground and began to spread out, pressing itself larger and larger. And slowly and surely…it began to transform. The creature gave a cry, and abruptly the metal helmet shattered. The fragments fell to the ground, revealing a bald, expressionless head. And yet, the head soon began to change. A mouth began to appear on it, rather like a big cat's mouth. Hair burst out over its head, rather like the hair of the Wisdom form. Only this was more wiry and fierce, like a wild mane. The ears began to point upward. The pink skin turned a grayer, rougher color, and the skin itself took on a darker color. The curved horn still protruded from the thing's head, but abruptly it pulled itself back and began to even out. What more, a new horn on the other side began to poke out and emerge, beginning to take the same shape as the other horn.

Still crying out, like a baby at birth, the thing extended its misshapened arm. Immediately, the armor exploded off of it, and the sword shattered into nothingness. Muscles began to bulge and grow under the arm, again turning that gray color. But soon, the arm evened itself out with the other one. The thing's body began to swell and grow as well. It pulled the armor links and stretched it out, making it go farther and grasp more tightly. Muscle tone and mass became more evident. The hands and feet grew claws. The back of the armor fell out, and a tail began to grow from the thing. What more, two great ridges poked out of the back and turned into leathery fins coming from behind, something like primordial wings. As the thing grew larger and more muscular, energy gathered around it. A red cloud swirled in heat and power around the thing, and to the horror of the espers…the power shot up even higher than ever. This new thing's power felt like it had _doubled_ that of the previous form.

And it wasn't even complete.

At last, the thing relaxed. It panted once, gaining its breath from the transformation. But now, it looked down to its body. It was a hideous sight. It looked to be part the Courage form, part the Wisdom form, and part some new creature forming in between. It looked at its body, and grinned its new tooth-filled mouth, pouring over its frame with red eyes. **"Amazing…"** The thing chuckled. **"Even _I_ never knew I was capable of such power. The most wonderful part is I'm only half done. Once I've combined with my Power form, I'll be a god amongst gods."**

Bahamut managed to rise at last, panting and weak. But as he stood there…he no longer saw any reason to attack.

He merely looked on in defeat.

* * *

"Why isn't Bahamut attacking?" Leviathan asked, a bit wildly now…for he was one of the few espers who now truly grasped the new power of Crusader.

"Because he knows that it is futile and inevitable." Odin darkly answered. "He was already nowhere near strong enough to beat Crusader before. Now, even if all of us could somehow put our power together, we still wouldn't be strong enough."

Leviathan gaped in horror, but said nothing for a while. "I can't believe it's over…"

However, Starlet reacted on hearing this. A new thought had entered her mind. Odin wasn't the only one who had secrets. She too had been thinking of something for a while now. And now that Odin had presented the idea, a new thought had come to her.

"…Are you sure…that Bahamut couldn't beat Crusader even if all of us put our power together?"

The three espers turned to Starlet at that. However, she was looking on at Crusader, and had a look of deep thought in her mind. They recognized that it meant something immediately.

"What do you mean?" Odin asked.

"I mean I can do that." Starlet responded. "It was another technique I learned. I can take the power from willing sources and transfer it to another one. It is at the expense of another, of course. We won't have any power left. But if Bahamut could get strong enough to do something, then maybe it would make a difference."

The three espers halted in response to that for a moment. At last, Odin frowned and crossed his arms. "And why did you not want to tell us this before?" He snapped.

"Well…in all honesty, I thought it was useless." Starlet replied with an innocent shrug. "After I learned the ability to transform into Ashura, I was already stronger than the rest of us combined. Combining our strength into one of us wouldn't have had any meaning then."

"And it won't have any meaning now, either." Odin darkly answered, causing the others to look to him in surprise at that retort. "We're all nothing compared to Bahamut now, even at full strength. Giving him our power would do nothing."

However, on hearing that, Leviathan suddenly brightened up. A thought came to mind, and a dim hope glimmered.

"No…maybe it would…"

Again, all of the espers turned again. "What do you mean?" Ogopogo blinked.

"I remember what Bahamut said before." Leviathan went on. "Remember? He didn't physically train at all before, yet he became so much stronger than us. That's because he learned how to better use his power. Now, our little bit of power may not be much to us because we can't make the best use of it. But if we give it to Bahamut, then maybe he'll be able to make better use of it and win."

The other three halted for a moment. They thought this thing over. In actuality, it did make sense. If what Bahamut said was true, then they could give a lot of power to him. Hopefully, it would still be enough to win. Odin was reluctant. He didn't like deferringto his non-warrior brother. However, he could also put aside his pride for the sake of victory. He sighed at last at all of this, and gave a nod.

"Fine. Let's do it. And quick, before Crusader completes itself." Saying this, he turned to Starlet.

The female esper nodded. "Right. Ok everyone. Put your hands on me, and try to concentrate on relaxing…just letting your power go."

The group did as they were told. Ogopogo, Leviathan, and Odin moved in and touched Starlet. They all closed their eyes, and relaxed after that. As for Starlet, she inhaled deeply, closed her own eyes, and then extended a hand out to Bahamut. At first, the four didn't feel anything. But then it started to come. They felt tired all over. Their injuries felt worse. Their bodies felt heavier. Their minds grew dizzier. Overall, it wasn't a very pleasant sensation. The only thing that kept them going was the thought that Bahamut was getting this power. More and more energy flowed out of them, and to Starlet. She kept her hand on Bahamut, still focusing as the esper rose and panted deeply. A few moments went by of this, until at last Starlet was done.

The female esper dropped her hand like a stone. The others doubled over instantly, and wobbled on their feet. They nearly fell over immediately. All of them were panting now, feeling more tired and drained than before. One thing was for certain. If Bahamut didn't win now, then no one else would. None of them were even up to throwing a punch.

"Alright…my turn." Leviathan announced wearily. Immediately, he closed his eyes and focused. After a few moments of doing so, he felt himself in Bahamut's mind, and quickly shouted out to him.

_Bahamut! We just gave you our power! You're back to full strength! Fight!

* * *

_

The esper suddenly raised his head, moving much faster than before. His injuries remained, but his power has suddenly sky rocketed. For a moment, Bahamut couldn't understand how. But then, the mental image came in from Leviathan. Smiling a bit in reply, Bahamut thought a response.

_Thanks guys._

Afterward, Bahamut's face quickly became dark. He looked up to the sky, and saw the the partially-completed Griever was still waiting for the Power form. And now, the latter of the two had taken off and was headed straight for the body. Bahamut frowned in response. Immediately, using his newfound strength, he shot up from the ground andafter the enemy. Now, a change had come over Bahamut in this time. He analyzed the power given to him. If he hadn't, he never would have charged the enemy like this. He would have still been swatted aside as easy as last time. However, he knew better. The espers had not only restored his power, they had given him more. They had charged him with new strength and vigor. And now, he knew he was capable of doing more than before.

Bahamut kept shooting forward. At length, the Power form, en route to the other monster, paused, noticing him coming. It turned its head to him. Immediately, at that, Bahamut doubled his speed, now having the power to do so. He moved so fast that not even Crusader could track him. And so, moments later, the Power form only gaped out of its cavernous mouth as Bahamut smashed his tail into him with all the force he could muster.

To the shock of everyone, especially Crusader, the Power form was smacked out of the sky. Even fully charged, it was no match for the power Bahamut now commanded. Like a meteor shooting from the heavens, the Power form was thrown to the ground, its body arched in agony in the position that Bahamut had left it on striking it. It shot away from the battlefield clear half a mile…before smashing into the mountains again. It crashed right through the rocky peaks, casting stones and mountain everywhere, and digging a gigantic trench into the mountain chain. When it finally came to a stop, it had dug up a huge path in its wake and was covered by dust and settling rocks. It did not rise again immediately.

The partially completed Griever looked at Bahamut in surprise. After a pause, however, it frowned. **"So, you still have power? Power enough to smack aside the opponent you struggled so much against earlier. Have you been saving it for this moment?"**

Bahamut didn't respond. He merely faced off against the enemy and did not move.

But then, the thing grinned and chuckled. **"It makes no difference, you know. You may have been able to do that to my Power form, which is a shock in itself…but my own power is already much stronger."**

With that, the thing took off to attack Bahamut. Rather…that's what everyone could assume. No one, including Bahamut, saw anything except a blur and then saw the thing's fist smash Bahamut across the face. Soon, it was Bahamut who was hurtling to the ground, contorted in agony. After doing this, the thing immediately shot after him, pulsing with power. Bahamut, while sailing downward, somehow recovered. He twisted back around, opened his mouth, and fired a Pyron at the descending creature. Unfortunately, the mutant merely extended a hand and fired one of its Mort-Kelvins, destroying the attack, then shooting down to pound its elbow into Bahamut's head. That added force immediately sent the esper flying to the ground and smashing into it, pounding yet another crater into the battered mountain.

Bahamut rose quickly, however, though his head was bleeding. It was a good thing too, for the monster was on him, and swinging a fist down to smash him. Bahamut quickly dodged it, and soon dodged a few other blows that were all aimed at his head. He barely missed them, though, and the force literally cut into his scales and made cuts on his face. Desperate to counter, Bahamut managed to swing around and smash the thing in the side of the head with his tail after it missed him. Unfortunately, to the esper's shock…the partially formed Griever barely shifted its head. Grinning wickedly, it responded by aiming a palm point blank at Bahamut's chest and firing a Magnavolt. Quickly, Bahamut put down his arms to block it, but the force soon sent the esper flying across the battlefield, digging a trench in his path, and burning his arms as he struggled to hold the power back. He did keep his feet down, and they dug two massive lines in the rock ground. After shooting a hundred meters, Bahamut managed to stop himself and discharge the attack. But he barely got his balance again before the thing was on him, hooking him in the face and nearly throwing his body to the ground from the impact.

* * *

The espers continued to look on at the battlefield, not watching Palad or Wyvern behind them. Their energy was only slowly replenishing, but even now it was barely enough to stand without wobbling.

"What's wrong?" Ogopogo announced. "Bahamut should have even more power than before now, but he looks like he's getting pounded."

Odin frowned in response. "He is much stronger than before, but it doesn't matter. Griever's new power makes it even stronger."

"He's right." Leviathan darkly went on. "Even now, I can barely sense Bahamut's power over Griever's."

"If that thing completes itself, we're dead." Starlet mused. "Especially if it's doing this right now."

"Bahamut understands." Leviathan answered. "He's trying to keep them occupied, to keep them from combining. But they're still too strong as they are now. They'll eventually wear him down and combine anyway. All he can do is stall."

"Oh no…" Ogopogo moaned.

"We have to do something!" Leviathan shot back. In truth, he was as scared as Ogopogo. He too wanted to run and hide. But somehow, his mental bond with Bahamut made him brave enough to stand his ground. Someone had to take charge. He turned to Odin. "Are you sure you can't do another Gunge Lance?"

The warrior esper frowned. "Even if I could, I'm drained of energy. I can't manage anything now."

"And my power's gone too." Starlet ruefully answered. "It would still take ten days before I could change into Ashura again."

Leviathan sighed in response. His head bowed. "Then it might really be over…"

"Hey, what are you four moping about?"

Immediately, the four espers turned and looked up to the voice. They were a bit amazed to see who it was. However, on seeing it, Leviathan got a new hope. He had forgot that there was still one left.

Wyvern, up and looking unhurt, was walking right toward them, with Palad, clutching feathers, running behind.

* * *

Bahamut, looking more beaten and bloody, shot into the sky with the monster before him. However, he was also wise enough to know what was coming. As he fought, the pile of rocks and rubble a distance away shifted, and out came a very angry-looking Power form. Immediately, the second monster roared, and took off, shooting straight for the partially completed Griever. Bahamut continued to face off against his enemy at first, not reacting to the second. But when the thing got behind Bahamut and only a few feet from the monster, Bahamut abruptly turned around and smashed his fists together down on the Power form's head, sending it flying back down to the ground to smash into the mountain rocks. It hit so hard that after impact, as the debris was settling, only the legs and lower torso were visible.

Unfortunately, Bahamut had to put his back to the monster to do this, and it immediately punished him by driving its huge fist forward and pounding him in the small of the back. Bahamut arched back in agony, while the monster flew overhead, aimed down at Bahamut, and then fired a Deen attack. Soon, a hundred exploding rings were shooting down at Bahamut and exploding on impact. The esper cried out in agony as he was thrown to the ground. The shots were so fast that he couldn't dodge them all, and every last one hit him. His smoking body was left to be hurtled to the ground.

However, not giving up, Bahamut quickly spun around just before impact, and landed on his feet. Immediately after doing so, the esper gave a cry and then shot up, shooting himself into the sky as fast as he possibly could. The speed was so much, and the last turn so unexpected, that even the thing was taken off guard, and soon Bahamut smashed the crown of his head into the monster's. Stunned, the thing stagged back a bit in mid-air. But Bahamut didn't renew his attack, instead, he shot back down to the ground to try a different strategy.

The Power form was digging itself out now. Already it was getting to its feet. However, it had barely recovered when Bahamut plopped down next to it. Glaring at him in rage, the beast swung a fist at the esper. But Bahamut quickly dodged it, then began to attack the thing savagely, struggling to kill it. If it could at least kill the Power form, then Griever could never complete itself. The thing was soon being beaten viciously by Bahamut's new power, being smacked around violently. But as Bahamut attacked, a ball of light suddenly shot down and struck him in the back. Bahamut again roared in pain, and arched backward, just in time to see that the partially-completed monster was already diving back down, trying to rendezvous with its Power form. Moments later, the Power form swung its own fist forward to smash Bahamut in the face, sending him flying backward again. But before he went, he managed to fire off a Pyron as he flew back, blasting into the Power form and sending it flying as well…just before the bigger monster could reach it.

* * *

"So that's why you four aren't fighting?" Wyvern asked, after getting the explanation. He hmphed in response. "Makes some sense. You four obviously aren't nearly strong enough to be an individual help anymore."

Odin frowned a bit at that, and Leviathan wondered why he was bringing this up now. But they kept talking. "Wyvern, you've got to give your power to Bahamut too. It's the only way he'll have enough strength to beat them. If he doesn't now, we'll never get another chance."

Wyvern paused in response to that. He held for a few short moments. But then, in the end, he frowned and glared at the group. "Why didn't you give your power to me instead?" He asked…causing the others to look shocked and surprised. "Then both me and Bahamut would have been super strong, and we could have beaten this thing into nothingness."

Leviathan shrugged. "…Well…we thought you were dead."

Ogopogo, however, was more blatant with the truth. "And Bahamut's the only one who can use his power well enough to fight."

"Why are you being so difficult about this?" Starlet asked. "Hurry up and give me your power or we're dead!"

But Wyvern was indignant. "Me and my brother already agreed that we were going to settle this thing together! If I give up my power right now, then I won't be able to do anything the rest of this battle!"

Leviathan, unable to contain himself, rolled his eyes. "So what? Isn't the important thing that we kill this monster!"

Wyvern frowned. "Sure, serpent." He hissed. "I'm sure you'd say the same thing if it was your brother and you out their fighting. You have no idea of the bonds of family. Me and Bahamut are the only family we've ever really had. We've always done everything together. And I'm not giving up my chance now! I'll fight them myself."

"You imbecile!" Odin snapped, unable to hold back any longer. This was crazy. He didn't know what had gotten into Wyvern, but it was killing them. Bahamut was running out of power. "You'll be dead within seconds if you go in there! Didn't your prior brush with death teach you anything? Phoenix isn't around to save you from your stupidity anymore!"

Wyvern scowled in response, visibly getting angry at that. "Would you like me to warm up on you, Odin?" He hissed. His body began to tense up to the ready position.

"Cut it out!" Leviathan cried. "The monster's out there, not here!"

Wyvern kept frowning, but changed positions at that. "You're absolutely right. And it's time for me to face the monster."

_Wyvern…please…do as they say._

On hearing that message, which was blared so powerfully and haphazardly that every esper heard it, Wyvern and the others froze. They turned and looked around into the sky for the source of the voice, until they realized it was in their minds. What more, they recognized it to be Bahamut's.

"Bahamut?" Wyvern asked incredulously, his face softening up.

"You're talking to us and fighting?" Leviathan asked.

_Please…don't talk back to me… It's taking everything I have to talk to you, keep Griever from finding out, and keep fighting… My strength is failing…I'm getting too tired… If I don't get another boost soon, then it won't matter if I do get more power. I'll already be too weak to do anything about it. Wyvern…please give me your energy. If I don't kill it soon, it will combine and then not even a hundred of my Mega-pyrins will kill it…

* * *

_

Bahamut smashed down on the ground, face flat. He was panting and tired now, but he managed to throw himself back up onto all fours. As he did, he looked and saw that the Power form hadn't wasted a second. It was already en route to the monster. In fact, it was already so close that the partially completed body was extending its arms to accept it like before. Bahamut knew he couldn't fly to it in time…

Immediately, the esper turned his head to the ground and fired off a Pyrin. The impact fired Bahamut off and sent him sailing for the two Crusaders. Just as the Power form was about to be absorbed…Bahamut popped in, made an elbow, and smashed it in the face as hard as he could. The thing went flying yet again. The other monster looked to him in rage, and quickly dropped out of its position to fight. But Bahamut quickly shot after the Power form instead, letting the other harmlessly hit air.

The esper moved as fast as he could, sailing after the struck Power form. The thing recovered, but the moment it did Bahamut fired off another Pyron, blasting it in the face. The balls of firescorched it severely, and sent it cringing in agony even as it continued to fly through the sky. Bahamut quickly shot forward to pound it again…when he felt himself seized from behind. All three bodies halted, the Power form, Bahamut, and the partially completed Griever, and Bahamut turned to see that the latter of the three was grabbing him. After digging its claws into Bahamut's shoulders, the thing spun around and threw Bahamut as hard as it could, intending to throw him away long enough to combine. But Bahamut managed to lash out his tail and wrap it around the arm of the thing, and using that as a lever spun himself around to hook the Power form instead, sending him flying away again. The esper quickly released and went in front of the monster to fight, but the thing soon began to beat him again just as easily as before, moving so fast the esper couldn't keep up…

* * *

"Bahamut…" Wyvern remarked. The other espers anxiously waited, hoping for some good news…any good news. The red serpent held for a long time. But then, he frowned, closed his eyes, and spoke back.

_Bahamut…we're supposed to do this together! That's what we agreed! You're asking me to give up the only chance to make a difference!_

_Wyvern…please… If you really want to do this together, then please give your energy to me… Then you along with the others will be fighting through me to kill this thing._

_…Can't we run away? We can get our power back and then finish it…_

_There's nowhere to run, Wyvern. It has to end today. And we can't escape._

_You can! With your new power! Just grab me and…_

_And then I'll be leaving the rest of our brothers and sisters behind along with Palad! And then I'll be abandoning the rest of the humans to this thing! And if it combines now, then nothing will be able to hide from it! Wyvern, I'm at my limit! You have to give me your power now! If you don't…we're all going to die! But you already have so much natural power that if it is used in me, I should still be strong enough to kill it! This is the only way you can help now! Please!_

Wyvern stalled longer. He grit his teeth and looked to the ground. In truth, he hated this. Always he had been used to being a little stronger than Bahamut. Even when not, he always thought himself as his equal. But now that he had power, he liked it. He wanted to use it, and express it to its fullest extent. Now he was being asked to not only give up his power, but to give it to his brother to widen the gap between them even more. Already he was weaker than him, and this would only make it worse. And as they continued to separate, Wyvern felt as if his brother was reaching another plane than him…was growing beyond him even. That he hated more than anything. However, somehow Bahamut's way of making sense and always being the sensible one came through to him. He groaned and sighed.

_When this is over…you're not stopping until you make me as strong as you._

With that, Wyvern looked over to Starlet. "Hurry up and get over here!"

* * *

Bahamut was smashed again in the stomach, then backhanded across the face. His body did a somersault in mid-air from the power, and he was thrown back violently. Somehow he stopped himself, and while he panted and breathed hard he looked up to the two Crusaders before him. He was only weakly flying now, and his power was rendered ineffective. He was out. And now, as he stayed in mid-air, he saw the partially completed Griever on one side, and the Power form on the other. Both grinned at him evilly.

**"You're out, Bahamut."** They hissed. **"You can't stop us any longer. You only delayed the inevitable. Now, would you like to die now and be spared the deaths of your family? Or would you rather see us unite into the ultimate being first and feel perfection as it melts your body away into nothingness?"**

Bahamut panted and breathed hard a few moments longer, staring at them darkly. He was stalling for a few more moments. Then, it happened at last. He felt a rush of power flood into him…a new and powerful rush. He hadn't been joking before. Wyvern was by far the greatest of them all. He had the most power to begin with. He was easily worth the rest of his siblings in strength. And now that the power came into him. Bahamut was able to make the best use of it. To the espers below, they felt overjoyed at the new senses. Rocks were still being whipped up. Energy and winds were still moving around. But now…it was coming around Bahamut as well. Now, that new power, not tainted with the feeling of darkness and evil, was overwhelming the other form. Feeling that, Bahamut smiled confidently.

_Thank you, Wyvern._

"Actually, I think I'll just stop you now."

The Crusaders grinned and laughed darkly in response. In their own blindness, they didn't realize how much Bahamut's power had increased. They soon learned, however. Bahamut started by turning his head to the power form. He opened his mouth…and instantly a blinding red light emerged from it. It burned bigger and more fierce than ever, looking almost at the level of a Mega-pyrin. Seeing this, the smiles faded on the looks of the Crusaders, and they stared in shock. But that shock increased even further when an attack erupted from Bahamut's mouth to strike the Power form with terrific force. That was because the attack was a simple Pyrin. Nevertheless, on striking the Power form and exploding, the force sent the thing flying twice as fast away from the area, sending it hurtling to the ground. It smashed into it a moment later, sending a quake through the area as it landed and entirely smashing its body into the rock.

The partially completed Griever gaped in surprise, and turned back to Bahamut…only to suddenly have the esper shoot forward and begin to pound it in the stomach with its claws. He smashed them into it again and again, doubling the thing over and making it gag. The movements were so fast that no one saw anything but a blur. After hitting this for a while, Bahamut halted, drew back, and hit one more time. The thing doubled over even more, and blood splattered out of its mouth. Finally, Bahamut smashed the crest of his head into the thing, sending the new beast flying to the ground as well. It wasn't as fast, but the monster soon smashed down on the ground and pounded another crater into it, sending out more shockwaves.

Bahamut hovered overhead and waited. The Power form slowly and shakily dug itself out. The other one sprang to its feet much easier, but now had blood on its brow and lips. It looked up and glared hatefully at the esper. It quivered with rage and anger. **"Damn you!"** It shrieked. Immediately, it shot into the air again. It meant to smack him out of the sky. But the moment it was in range, Bahamut too moved so fast that Crusader couldn't see it. He dodged the blow easily, then smacked the thing out of the sky and sent it hurtling back to the ground, to smash right into the same crater again. Rocks and dust were flown everywhere. Bahamut looked down and waited for it to reappear, patiently doing nothing. Much of the dust settled. However, in the end, it sprang back up, throwing rocks everywhere around it, and a crack of thunder lashed out as it gathered more energy to itself. The ground shuddered violently. Through it all, the thing, now bleeding through its nose, looked up in rage to Bahamut.

**"How…dare you!"** It cried. It nearly foamed at the mouth, being so angry. Its eyes blazed with hate. **"You dare to humiliate me, you little nothing! I'll rip you into shreds with my bare hands!"**

Bahamut merely looked down darkly in response. "It's over, Crusader."

The thing sneered in fury, spitting up blood. **"Over! You dare talk to me as if I was some feeble child! You're nothing but an ant to me!"**

"Maybe I would be if you could complete yourself, but I'm not going to let you." Bahamut simply answered. "I'm much stronger than both of your forms now. You can't win. You're just humiliating yourself."

The monster seemed even more vehement than before. It quivered with rage, its muscles bulging and its brow knotting. The sound of thunder continued to grow around it. The ground shook more and more. But for all this, Bahamut didn't react. He knew that its power was now insufficient. No matter how much it gave itself, he would still come out on top. Nevertheless…he didn't finish it right out. Evil as the thing had been…much as it had done…Bahamut wasn't a killer. He didn't want to simply annihilate it as he did the other Fiends. Perhaps he would have had he only seen its cruelty, but somewhere in this creature was once the person he knew and loved growing up. A part of him still couldn't fathom that person having totally disappeared into the hideous monster beneath them. Yet the thing continued to fume and spit, growing angrier all the time.

But then, at last, to Bahamut surprise, it relaxed. The waves of energy died. The shaking stopped. The thing pulled itself up straight and out of ready position. A smile spread across its face.

**"Heh."** The thing sneered. **"I see now. You think you're my superior. You think you've surpassed the level of godhood. Most of all, you think to take away my lovely from me, to make it your own."** The thing snickered again, laughing a bit this time. Bahamut tensed up at this, and he wasn't alone. The other espers felt cold anxiety going through them at that. The monster was planning something, and they didn't like it when it did.

**"You're pathetic."** The thing spat at last. **"You could never rule this world."**

"I'm not interested in ruling anything." Bahamut simply answered. "I just want to stop your insanity."

**"Liar."** The thing retorted. **"You love it. You love the Crystal, and you seek to take it away from us. But you won't. You can't win. You don't have what it takes to be a true ruler. We do. That is why we are the destined rulers of this world. That's why we are gods. You're nothing but a simple child."**

"Enough talk." Bahamut answered grimly. "Let's finish this."

The thing sneered. **"Your love of the humans makes you weak."**

Bahamut raised an eyebrow to this.

**"That's why you can't win, and I'm going to prove it to you."**

With that, the partially completed Griever calmly pointed over its shoulder. Bahamut looked up to where it pointed…and his face nearly went white. The Power form was up again…and it had fired a Mort-kelvin straight at Palad's back.

"NO!"

Bahamut immediately put all of his new power to bear, and shot straight after the human as fast as he possibly could. He didn't even pay any attention to the monster as it quickly shot into the air, turned and faced the Power form, and spread its arms wide. The Power form immediately took off and began to fly toward it. Both of them moved as fast as they could too. Bahamut didn't care. He barreled straight for the human boy. Palad was a bit suprised at Bahamut's move. However, he also heard the attack behind him. He turned around and looked to it, and soon gaped in terror and fear, cringing and vainly trying to shield himself. But moments before it could reach him, Bahamut was there. He snagged Palad up within a fraction of a second, and the attack sailed below the both of them just barely. It was only then, when Bahamut heart began to quiet down because Palad was safe…that he realized the horrible mistake he had made. He looked up to see if there was any hope of stopping it…but it was too late.

He was just in time to see the Power form melt into the torso of the partially completed Griever.

Immediately, Bahamut felt himself nearly blown away. A new wind had arisen, but this one was far stronger than any yet. The power was too much for him. He had to immediately drop to the ground and spread his wings around Palad to shield him against his chest. The other espers fell to the ground and held on hard. The sky changed colors quickly now. The clouds in the sky at last rushed in on the one location. Darkness spread over the land, until the one part of the sky that still allowed the sun to shine was a single opening in the clouds overhead…and it bore down straight on the creature. The clouds turned from gray to black. They began to thunder lightning and cast up power and fury. The groundshook violently. All but Bahamut were thrown to the ground. Great fractures began to appear in the earth. Dirt began to be thrown up in huge columns. Rocks shattered. The wind built around the thing, nearly sucking the clouds down to form a tornado. In the center of it, nearly wreathed in red flame, was the creature. It had its hands in fists clenched at its side, and bared its teeth as if in agony. And as it did…Bahamut and Leviathan felt the power explode one final time…

Giving out a monstrous roar that now shook the heavens and the earth, the flaps behind the thing ripped out and unfurled, revealing monstrous black wings. The thing stiffened and arched its back, as its neck filled in more than before. Its tail lengthened behind it. The last of its armor shattered and fell from the thing, and the horns in its head straightened out to grow and become symmetrical. Giving another roar, its neck thickened and grew powerful, and hair began to break out from it. The face lost all feminine features now, and grew into the face of a vicious, bloodthirsty lion. The teeth continued to grow, becoming long and white as snow, but sharp as razors. The muscles bulged in its body, growing larger and larger, stretching the skin and becoming more sharply defined. Its hands turned into powerful claws, and its feet became that of an animal's. Its body turned from gray into a deeper, deeper black. But its eyes, like coals from hell, continued to burn in its sockets, until all they were was red light in black nothingness. Finally, its size continued to grow, until it was larger both in terms of muscle mass and height than the power form.

Finally, the charging stopped. The thing broke its pose and hovered in the sky, glowering down with a ravenous look. The fierce winds subsided a little, and the quake died down much…but both still went on to a degree. The new black beast burned in the sky, its wings, like bat leather, flapping. None of the espers knew what a demon was, but if they did they would have described the new, insanely powerful monster as one. Now it revealed its true side. Now its evil power and appearance matched the black soul within.

Griever was complete.

* * *

To be continued...


	21. Omniapex

"Good lord…"

Even the brave Odin couldn't bear to say anything besides that. The power was so strong that even one unable to sense could literally feel it radiating off of the new creature. The espers stared in fear. Their bodies were frozen in utter terror. The thing didn't even look mortal anymore, but like a psychotic, hellish beast. Bahamut found himself paralyzed as well, staring at the creature in terror. However, it did not last long.

Abruptly, Bahamut unfurled his wings and practically threw Palad away from him. He snapped around and yelled to both him and the others. "Get out of here! All of you get as far away as you can! Odin, call Slepnir, take Palad, and run!"

**_"Foolish esper…"_**

The voice was so deep and powerful now that it seemed to permeate one's being. The strength was so massive that it quelled any hope inside anyone, as well as any bravery or mobility. No, they could not run…they could only stare in terror as the new beast killed each one of them slowly.

Bahamut himself was nearly frozen as Griever lightly touched down behind him. The monster barely touched the ground, but even its presence made the ground shake and wind whip around the esper. He turned around, only to see the massive tower of evil energy looking down on him. Its sharp teeth gleamed as it grinned at him. Bahamut couldn't move. He only gaped and looked at it.

**_"It's all your fault, Bahamut."_** The thing mocked in its new penetrating voice. **_"You ruined it. You as good as killed your family. I warned you that the humans would make you weak. You weren't even willing to sacrifice one to save your family and the rest of their stupid race. That is why you will never be my equal. And now, your failure will be the death of you and this world."_**

Bahamut didn't answer. No one moved. The monster laughed again.

**_"Why don't you yell at your little friends to run again? Let's see how far they get before I kill them, eh? Why don't you try charging that Megapyrin again? I'll wait the full five minutes this time. Or have you any other secret technique or power? No?"_** Silence was the answer. The monstrous head shook. **_"Pity. I was going to try and see how high my power could go, but this will now be too easy."_**

With that, Bahamut found himself suddenly seized by the neck. None of the espers saw the movement. They just suddenly saw their brother in the grasp of the monster. Griever's huge black hand crushed around Bahamut's throat, and he hoisted the esper into the air and held him there, throttling him and glaring up at him. Now Bahamut came to life, reaching up and clutching for his throat. But he was helpless against the new power.

**_"Goodbye, Bahamut."_**

With that, the thing smashed him in the face. No one saw exactly what happened. Bahamut himself barely felt the horrible power grinding into his body and seeming to most certainly break every bone in his skull. Immediately, his nervous connections went dead, and he felt nothing and saw nothing. His body, like a thunderbolt, was thrown into the sky, right up into the hole in the clouds and into the sunlight, which at last beat down on the battlefield. It took only seconds for Bahamut's body to be thrown that distance and into the sky. But then, he was gone. He vanished into thin air.

The espers, transfixed with horror, could only stare on in shock. Bahamut couldn't have survived such a blow. Even if he could have, he was now headed for the orbit of the Planet. Griever knew that there was no air around there, and that the pressure and cold became fatal. That was its intention. Of course, there was always the chance Bahamut survived…but if he did then it would only be to return to see all else dead before Griever took its time killing him. The last hope had vanished. The espers were frozen again in terror, seeing their chances of victory fade into the sky. Nothing could save them now.

Grinning wickedly, the monster looked down to the espers. **_"Who's next?"

* * *

_**

_Empty…_

_Everything's empty…_

_I can't see anything…hear anything… It's like I'm in nothing…that I am nothing…_

_Did Griever destroy the world? Or am I gone?_

_I'm dead… I can't feel anything… I can't focus on anything… I can't do anything… It's over… I'm returning to the Planet… Returning to the Planet? Is that what happens when I die?_

_Yes, Bahamut._

_What? Who's there?_

_You know who._

_No I don't._

_Yes you do. You remember me. You remember me…before all else._

_What?_

_What is the first thing you remember?_

_…Well…waking up next to Wyvern…_

_What woke you?_

_…I never thought of that before…_

_Why are you Bahamut?_

_What?_

_Why are you Bahamut?_

_…I…I don't know…I just always called myself that…_

_Why did you call yourself that?_

_Because…because that voice called me that._

_Yes._

_…You…you were that voice._

_Yes._

_Who are you?_

_I'm your mother._

_My mother? But my mother…is the Planet._

_I am she._

_But…but that's not possible…I've never heard you before._

_No, but you were reaching that point. You may have not heard me, but I have not ceased talking to you. From the moment you were born, I placed my message in your mind. I waited for you to…learn to read it…so to speak. And you have come far. You have learned much. Yet there is so much more you have yet to learn. You did not even know how to talk to me, although I was always talking to you. But that ends. Now, today, in this stage between life and death, you hear me._

_…_

_You have indeed learned much, Bahamut. Now…you must learn the rest._

_The rest?_

_There is more to you than power. There is more to all of us. You've done so much, but you understand so little. I meant for you to learn everything slowly, but now there is no time. You must learn it all now…_

_Learn what?_

_Learn your true purpose._

_What purpose?_

_…To gain the true nature of the Omniapex…

* * *

_

Griever stared at the victims before him. Palad had run to Starlet and jumped in her arms, but she could do little to protect him. None of them could. The beast was coming closer.

**_"Who wants to die first?"_** The thing asked. **_"Any brave people? Anyone wanting to buy their sibling a few more moments of life? How about you, Odin? I still remember your little attack from earlier. Feel free to do it again, if you can. Or you, Starlet…Ashura…whatever name you give yourself? Want me to crush you like the little six-legged bug you turn into? Come on…this is a rare opportunity. It's not every day one gets to feel the unparalleled power of the god of the Planet."_**

The group didn't move. They only stared on. An impulse told Odin to fight, but he knew it was futile. Calling Slepnir was futile. Wyvern looked ready to fight, but it would be suicide, plain and simple. The others were frozen. They couldn't move or help. They were all doomed, and there was nothing they could do but wait for the end from this horror.

Suddenly, a single voice called out.

"You are no god."

The others turned and looked up to the source of the voice. Griever likewise was surprised, and turned to look at it. The monster's massive jaw nearly dropped.

**_"Impossible…"_**

Bahamut was lowering from the sky. What more, he didn't look broken in the least. His old injuries were still there, but he no longer noticed them. His arms were crossed and his face looked still and cold. What more…the group noticed that somehow, he wasn't using his wings. He was hovering down just as Griever could. He continued to lower himself, until he was only a few dozen feet from the ground. There, he halted and glared down at Griever. His look was hard and unyielding. But there was something else that the espers noticed. He looked no stronger, and no other power was sensed…and yet Bahamut was different. He looked older…much older. His eyes…they beamed with the same vigor and wisdom that Jadea's had. He seemed to have matured a thousand years in a matter of seconds.

Griever spun around, growling in fury. **_"You little speck…"_** It hissed. **_"You don't know when to die, do you? If I were you, I would have fled a thousand miles away if you had managed to trick me into thinking you were dead. As it is, your stupidity has just earned you a slower death."_**

Bahamut simply looked down in response, unchanging and still cold. However, after a moment, he looked up to his siblings. "Don't be afraid of it." He simply stated. Griever reacted to this, because his tone of voice made it look as if the monster suddenly was unimportant. "I know much more now. I'm not sure how it happened…and I can barely remember it. But somehow, the state between life and death from Griever's blow put me in contact with the Planet. And now…I know the truth at last."

The espers looked puzzled at this, and Leviathan was surprised that Bahamut so easily snubbed Griever when he looked no stronger. But the thing snarled in response. **_"Fool! You regard me so little? Did you forget how easily I smacked you aside like the puny worm you are!"_**

Bahamut returned his gaze to Griever at this. He looked it right in the eye. Despite all of Griever's power, Bahamut's eyes now had their own power…and they were a hundredtimes more confident and controlled than Griever's. The thing actually snapped back a bit at this, before Bahamut spoke.

"I know all about you now, Griever." Bahamut calmly went on. "I know everything about you. You call yourself a god all you want. But I always wondered that if it was true, how come the life force of the Planet was able to make you? You're not much of a god if you're a child of the Planet. Now I know the truth. You're not a god…you're an esper."

The other espers were taken aback by this, shocked to hear the news. But that was nothing compared to Griever. The monstrous thing looked like it had been choked, how it stopped and reacted to that. It quickly regained its composure, however, calming down again. But it had already telegraphed the implication. It was visibly more uneasy when it resumed speaking.

**_"Heh…more nonsense from the miserable child. You know nothing."_**

"On the contrary, I now know everything _you_ know." Bahamut continued calmly. "I know how to reproduce, about the Lifestream, the Cetra race, the legendary Sorcerea-Ceatrae, and most of all…" Here, Bahamut smiled a little. "I know my Omniapex."

The espers reacted to this more strongly. Hope fled into them again, even as they were bathed in Griever's power. However, the monster merely sneered. **_"Feh. You're still nothing to me, Bahamut. Come down here and I'll show you."_**

But Bahamut ignored the thing, and continued. "I know all about you. You are an esper. You were the first one of us that was born."

The thing fumed at this, not wanting to hear it. **_"Shut your foolish mouth, little nothing!"_**

Bahamut calmly continued. "The Planet intended for there to be seven of us all along. It planned to give us all incredible power and wisdom. But it was afraid…afraid that we'd use its power for evil…like you did. So it locked the power within us all to discover only with time, to grow as normal creatures and slowly learn how to use it…after we had learned to love others."

The thing was vehement now. **_"I said SILENCE!"_**

Immediately, Griever took off and sailed straight for Bahamut. The sky cracked and thunder raged, and the sky grew dark again. Bahamut didn't move. He calmly hovered there, and watched Griever come at it. The monster thundered closer and closer, and finally reached Bahamut. It opened its giant mouth as it did so. A burning, blinding light was within, so strong that even though it was facing away from the espers, they had to look away and shield themselves. A moment after, a massive beam of energy, a giant Mort-kelvin, erupted from its mouth point blank in Bahamut's face. But the moment it did…the espers detected a small blur…and Bahamut reappeared right behind Griever. He didn't look tired or strained in the least. Griever spun around in shock, seeing that Bahamut was now behind him. It gaped and slowly turned, at a loss for words at the moment. The espers were stunned into silence, amazed at what their brother had done. Bahamut showed no tiredness and looked no worse for having dodged…even as the beam shot a few miles away before hitting the ground, and turning the sky red with a terrific explosion. He merely waited as the deafening boom suddenly erupted, and cast rocks and heat all over the battlefield. He never flinched, though the other espers dove for cover. At length, the power did die down, and Bahamut calmly continued.

"But if we were all young, we needed a caretaker. So the Planet appointed you as the sole esper to be born fully grown and with full knowledge. It made you powerful, but it also split you into three parts, and isolated the other two within your Wisdom form. It hoped that this form alone would keep you from ever doing evil, but that you'd only be governed by kindness. But it was wrong."

Griever snarled, and shot forward to swing at Bahamut with its massive fist. Bahamut calmly bent over, dodging the blow easily. It swung its foot at him next, but Bahamut merely righted himself in mid-air and dodged it. The thing, furious, began to unload a series of punches and kicks at Bahamut, struggling to hit him at least once. But Bahamut, without ever turning around, easily dodged each and every blow. Griever never hit anything but air. At last, the monster gave up and growled in fury, backing up to rethink its strategy. Bahamut, now free, continued.

"You learned of the Crystal. You also learned of the humans. You saw that the humans were growing quickly to their new civilization, that they were learning to become stronger. You feared they'd one day become stronger than you…that the espers would be subservient to them one day. So you murdered them. You laid waste to all their cities and scattered all signs of technology. You obtained the Crystal, and used it to set up stations of yourself all over the Planet, to look for humans everywhere. You removed it from Ultima Nexus, and as a result the world was plunged into this sunless darkness. You tapped into the dark side of the Crystal, and you used it to make the Four Fiends of the Elements. Yet when that was all done, you weren't satisfied. Beginning to learn your potential, you began to hunger for more power. You grew mad with the strength your body and the Crystal gave you. So you set yourself up as this deity. You kept humans around simply so they could venerate you, while you tortured them and made sure they couldn't advance even to the point of going to bed not hungry. In the end, you craved their worship, and you wanted more and more.

"But now, that's coming to an end. I've talked with the Planet, and it knows what you're thinking. You plan to destroy it as well so you can be free of it. Because of that, you pushed it to the point of revealing to me my Omniapex. That's not all, however. I told you that it wanted us to learn to love." Here, Bahamut cracked a smile, and turned around in mid-air to face Griever. "Your attempts to kill Palad, and our sacrifices to save him,made the Planet realize we _had_ learned to love others more than power or ourselves. So it gave me the power. So now, Griever…_you _are the one who made the fatal mistake."

Griever didn't move. It hovered their in the sky and said nothing. The espers looked to it, and so did Bahamut. Silence reigned. In the end, however…the monster laughed…a dark, deep, cheerless laugh. Even now, it made everyone's blood run cold.

**_"Well, well, well…Bahamut…"_** The thing hissed. **_"You do seem to know a lot now…at least on one side. You're right. The Planet did make me to be one of you simple, pathetic espers. But I've long since gone beyond that. The Crystal has chosen me. The powers that be have chosen me. I rule all now, and I'll be damned if I let you or your miserable mother stop me.Gaia is nothing to me. All it has ever done is tried to keep me from reaching my full potential. It encouraged the growth of a species that craves destruction…and would one day place you and your family under an everlasting yoke. I tried to spare you all that…and this is how you reward me. You allign yourself with my true enemy…the damned Planet that has neither power to save itself or others. You think you have power? Very well…let's put it to the test!"_**

Immediately, the winds picked up. The ground shook. The fires around Griever burned. It brought its full power out to bear again, and then shot forward. Bahamut's head was suddenly snapped to one side as Griever's fist tore across it. His look went to shock and surprise. But Griever wasn't done. It reared back, and kicked Bahamut powerfully in the stomach, doubling him over. It then spun around, and smashed its foot against the side of Bahamut's head, not only snapping him to one side but sending him flying away through the sky. Griever quickly picked up its own speed, and shot after him. Within moments, it had caught up to Bahamut's flying body, and with a powerful kick knocked him upward into the sky. The beast quickly shot up overhead and placed itself in Bahamut's path. After doing so, it raised its hand to the sky. A burning red light of a different color gathered around its fist, as if its hand really was on fire. As it did…a hole suddenly appeared in the sky. That was the only way to describe it. A great black hole opened in the sky and quickly expanded. There was nothing inside but blackness. That…and what appeared to be stars. It was as if space had been opened. However, the hole kept widening until it was as big as Griever itself. When that happened, the thing swung its hand down. Immediately, a sizzling, fiery meteor shot out of the hole and onto the battlefield. The massive rock shot downward, billowing smoke all the way, until it struck Bahamut. Immediately, both the meteor and Bahamut were cast to the ground…and moments later they impacted.A blinding explosion erupted. Griever itself had to guard itself from the blast. A massive mushroom-shaped cloud of vapor went into the sky. Rocks were blown up but atomized long before landing. A deafening roar went out throughout a hundred-mile radius.

The heat, power, and noise began to die down at last. The vapor left somewhat more slowly. But even as it was fading only a little, it was obvious that a massive, blackened crater was now in the ground. Dirt and rocks were thrown up all around it. Griever unshielded itself, and looked down with glee. It balled its hands into fists and laughed in maddened joy. **_"Ha-hah! You stupid fool! I told you that I was a god! You were never anything to me! Now you're nothing! Come back from that!"_**

Griever reveled in joy for a few moments more. However, it abruptly froze, and its face turned to surprise. The other espers, slowly picking themselves up and digging their way out from the dust, began to rise as well, and also gaped. There was indeed a great black crater in the ground. But standing right in the center of it, looking unchanged except for a bloodier forehead, was the stoic Bahamut. He stood calmly, looking up from the ground at Griever. The thing could only gape in shock.

Abruptly, however, Bahamut opened his mouth again. It too gleamed with burning light of blinding nature, although it was much more fiery. Moments later, a Pyrin erupted from his mouth, and shot straight at Griever in the sky. The thing reacted in surprise for a moment, before sneering. The sky grew dark around it again, and the air thundered. As the Pyrin reached the thing, it swung its fist down to smash into it. Immediately, as it swung around and struck it, the Pyrin went off. Griever soon screamed inhumanly. It had destroyed it, but the burning power soon ate away at the flesh and skin on the knuckles. It burned down into the bone. What more, the vibrational impact penetrated the thing's body, sending a numbing feeling throughout it. Griever sneered in rage…and as such was barely able to see Bahamut's body fly through the smoke of the blast and hit the thing in the face with his knee. Griever's body went flying backward hard as blood splurted from its nose. Its whole frame was thrown backward through the sky. Bahamut, not letting up, quickly shot after it.

But as it went back, abruptly it looked up and saw Bahamut coming. Glaring at him with red eyes, Griever raised a hand and aimed it at Bahamut. Immediately, huge ice crystals grew out of its fingers, and fired at the esper. Bahamut halted immediately, and soon found himself twisting his body in a crazy position to avoid the razor-sharp projectiles. Nevertheless, one still tore through his shoulder, cutting a bloody wound into it. And using the distraction, Griever shot forward and jabbed its elbow right into Bahamut's face. The esper snapped back, and soon doubled over as Griever followed up with a stomach pound. The thing brought both fists back, and prepared to bring them down in a crushing blow. But just as it did, Bahamut surprisingly recovered. He nimbly dodged out of the way, spun around, and then drove his own fist forward deep into Griever's side, sinking it in. The beast roared and spluttered blood.

Infuriated, Griever's power swelled again, and it swung its fist at Bahamut's head. Bahamut quickly dropped to avoid the hit, and then swung his tail up to counter. Griever quickly dropped under this, and shot forward to make a cutting motion with one arm against Bahamut. Bahamut quickly swung backward, narrowly dodging the blow in response, then darted back forward in an attempt to hit Griever with his crest. Griever quickly crossed its arms before it, and the blow was blocked by the crossing gesture. Griever tried to answer with a kick of its own, but Bahamut recovered and quickly shot back. At last, both at once dove forward to hit each other in the face. But both of them moved perfectly, and after a moment…both of them smashed each other in the face at the same time. Both of their bodies went flying to the ground, while the resulting shockwave rippled out to spread a huge crater in the ground, and to shake more stones into pebbles. Both bodies landed hard, and slid along the ground, throwing up more dirt and debris as they did so.

Both soonwere ontheir feet, however, and immediately shot to each other again. They met right in the center of the first crater, smashing their arms together for both had tried to block the other. They held for a moment, before both shot their arms out and grabbed each other's hands. Then they pushed against one another. As they did, the power of Griever and even Bahamut now flared up. The wind whipped terribly. The sky grew blacker, making it hard to see save for the flame around Griever. The crater deepened and widened, growing larger from the force that the two brought up between them. They both continued to push, but failed to make any headwind. But the more they pushed, the more the ground shook, and the more violent what was left of the mountain became.

Finally, the two parted. They shot back a few feet, then shot forward to renew their assault. Bahamut landed first, spinning around as he shot forward to smack Griever with a backhand that sent the thing crashing back against the ground to dig up another trench. But as Bahamut was following up, Griever abruptly got to its feet and kicked right as Bahamut arrived, launching the esper into the air. Griever quickly shot up after it, and soon it drove its own head smashing into Bahamut's stomach, bearing its full impact behind it. But Bahamut was still going. Even as he bent around the blow, he shot out his hands and seized Griever's shoulders. Abruptly, he somersaulted himself off of the giant creature and used the momentum to throw Griever over his shoulders and to the ground. Not trusting that he had enough power in it, Bahamut opened his mouth and shot out a Pyron at the thing as it fell. Unfortunately, Griever managed to right itself, looked at the coming attack, and opened its hand to sent out a Magnavolt to the attack. Its power immediately obliterated the Pyron attack, and it followed up with a Gigavolt attack right at Bahamut. The huge bolt connected with the esper, and immediately Bahamut was enveloped in electricity. He arched and cried out in pain, before the power let up, and he limply fell to the ground.

Bahamut landed only moments later, and Griever quickly went after him. The thing dove down with both feet out, intending to smash Bahamut's head into the ground. However, Bahamut sprung to life at just the right moment. He quickly rolled out of the way, and then went up slightly to swing his leg around in a tripping fashion. His own leg connected with Griever's, and the huge monster went backward before falling down and hitting the ground. Bahamut quickly rose to renew the assault, to dive on top of the fallen Griever and give more pain. But just as he did, Griever's head snapped up, and it fired another Mort-Kelvin point-blank at Bahamut. Bahamut put out an open palm to stop it. Unfortunately, the effect was much as his own attack's had been earlier. The eruption in his palm singed his flesh and burnt into his bones. Griever quickly got up as well, and uppercutted the esper into the sky.

Itshot after Bahamut, but yet again the esper recovered, and crossed his arms in front of himself to block as he went shootingupward. The two soon were tumbling in the air, spinning around each other throwing one punch after another in an attempt to hit the other. They rose higher and higher, causingthe clouds to rumble from their power. At last, as the hapless espers below watched, they parted and then shot forward to each other again. Soon, they both went flying away from each other again, as both hit at the same time and sent another shockwave tearing through the sky.

The two quicklyrecovered and were at each other again. Bahamut was again first, jabbing Griever right in the face. The monster retorted by uppercutting Bahamut hard. But Bahamut was ready this time, and merely spun in mid-air to counter with a tail slap of his own to Griever. The monster was snapped back, but, enraged, quickly recovered and dove forward to smash its head into Bahamut's, sending the esper again flying to the ground. Again, Griever went after him. It opened its mouth and fired off Deen rings again at the esper as it closed, trying to put on more pain. Bahamut saw this, and quickly shifted one way and the other to avoid being hit. The rings instead hit the ground, where they rocked the countryside and exhumed the mountain in terrific blasts. Griever at last reached Bahamut, and proceded to punch him across the face three times. But after that, while they were still sailing to the ground, Bahamut abruptly shot out, seized Griever's shoulders, and drove his head forward in a smashing motion into his forehead. Griever snapped back and was stunned, and Bahamut quickly spun around in mid-air again to hit Griever with another tail slap…sending the thing flying back down into the ground. Meanwhile, Bahamut halted himself and looked at his damage. Moments later, Griever smashed into the ground much as Bahamut had been expected to. Yet the thing only tumbled once before springing back to life and headed back to the esper.

In another instant, Bahamut's face snapped again as another fist struck it. But he recovered and bounced back to smack Griever in the face as well. Roaring angrily, the thing drove its hand forward with talons outstretched to kill Bahamut, but the esper merely dodged to one side, then answered back with his own backhand. Griever quickly ducked, and tried to respond with another uppercut. But Bahamut merely moved back, and again the hand hit nothing. Bahamut then dropped in mid-air and tried to do a sweeping kick to the thing's legs. But the thing rose over it, and then brought its heel down in an ax-kick move to Bahamut's head. Quickly, Bahamut brought up his arms and blocked against the blow, then threw it up in order to make Griever flip over. But the monster was ready. No sooner had it flipped over then it struck out with its own tail. It lacked the power, but it still was thin and sliced into Bahamut's face. Bahamut's head flew up, exposing himself. Griever took the opportunity to dive forward and smash Bahamut in the throat. The esper doubled over and grasped for it, and was helpless to do anything as Griever drove a foot forward and connected straight with Bahamut's face, sending the whole esper flying backward.

Griever, smiling wickedly, immediately held its hand in the air again. As before, the dark hole appeared in the sky. As before, it grew to Bahamut's size, and soon Griever's hand exploded into flame. It watched Bahamut and judged the distance as he flew away. Finally, seeing it was at the right moment, it brought its hand down. But at that second…Bahamut suddenly sprung back to life. The esper righted himself in mid-air, held open its mouth, and fired another Pyron away from Griever. The force of this blast sent Bahamut flying back right at the monster, who, to its shock, was unable to react. But soon Bahamut was there, and smashed both legs into the thing's head. It was stunned from this blow, giving Bahamut the time to seize it by the tail and swing it around. After doing one full revolution, it flung the monster forward…right into the path of the incoming flaming meteor. The timing was perfect. The meteor connected, and soon Griever was sent crashing to the ground. Moments later, it touched down…and another earth-shattering explosion went out. Again the world was rocked violently, and another huge mushroom cloud was sent flying up. Heat flooded over everything.

However, the smoke and heat had barely died down before a black shape shot out of the vapor, and sailed right for Bahamut. Moments later, a flying fist connected with the jaw of the esper, sending his head flying back. But it didn't send him flying. Griever followed up with a hook to the stomach, which made Bahamut come back down again. However, as it aimed for a head hit, Bahamut raised up an arm and blocked it. Soon, Bahamut dodged another hook by ducking, then shifted to one side to avoid a sweeping kick. The thing sent off another powerful series of blows, but Bahamut twisted just barely to miss all of them, although one did tear his cheek. Finally, after ducking under another uppercut, Bahamut shoved his fist forward and pounded Griever in the stomach. The thing doubled over, and Bahamut followed off by sending a blinding series of five punches into its face. That done, he added six more by crossing his fists against Griever's face, smashing the thing one way and the other. Finally, he brought his hands together and brought down a fist hard on Griever's head, sending it flying down headfirst to the ground. As it did, Bahamut fired off another Pyron for it. The fireballs met up with it as it was landing, and right on the moment of impact, the huge fiery explosion tore up the ground as well. More chaos and fire resulted, as the thing was smashed deep into the ground.

At last, as the fires and latest bit of smoke settled, Bahamut moved to one side of the field and touched down. His body was covered with cuts. A few bones were broken. One side of his face was swollen and a terrible gash was on his jaw. But other than that, he was not breathing hard, and looked more than ready for more. The smoke cleared in front of him further, and finally revealed Griever. The monstrous beast looked little better. A huge gash was on its brow. Half of its face was also beaten in. Burns and abbrasions covered it from head to toe. But most of all…the thing looked tired. Sweat steaked its black skin. It panted and wheezed as it stood there, struggling to get its breath. The energy around it seemed dimmer, and even the fire in its eyes had subsided somewhat. Blood dripped from its mouth, nose, and ears, and it spat out spittle and blood from its dry mouth. Its body looked overstrained, and it barely seemed to be keeping its arms up at the ready. It was quivering with the signs of exhaustion.

**_"Curse…curse you…"_** The monster wheezed. **_"Damn…you! You are not better than me! You will die! I swear…I swear it!"_**

Bahamut's expression hadn't changed. It was still stoic and cold, and he didn't answer right away. Finally, he did speak. His tone was tired, as if he was explaining something to a stubborn child.

"Griever…it's over."

The thing looked up in puzzlement at this. **_"What…did you say?"_**

"This fight is finished." Bahamut simply replied. "You're too blinded by anger to realize it, but at this point it's obvious that I'm going to win."

The monster snarled. **_"Overconfident…little pest…! We'll see what you say when I start dismembering you…"_**

Bahamut frowned. "You're the fool. Open your eyes. Your body was never meant to endure such power. It's not tolerating the strain. You've reached your limit and burned yourself out. You're losing strength fast. In a few more minutes, you won't even be able to stand."

Griever snarled and fumed at this. But it didn't utter anymore death threats. It knew, much as it hated to admit it, that Bahamut was right. And that knowledge only drove it more insane than before. Madness and fury ran through its mind. It was filled with a greater bloodlust than ever to destroy Bahamut…the puny little esper it had raised and was now dictating to it. It couldn't stand it. It hated Bahamut more than anything at the moment.

"I was going to kill you for what you did to Phoenix and everyone else." Bahamut went on. "But it doesn't really matter anymore. Your power will never be the equivilent of mine again. So just surrender. I'll let you live if you do. Maybe you'll be able to learn to love others as we did."

That was the last straw. Griever had lived far too long as the ruler of the world to tolerate this. The smallest little weaklings were now talking to it as if it was nothing. It was insulting it, slapping it across the face by this gesture. In Griever's mind, Bahamut was nothing more than an overconfident, laughing monster, looking down on Griever and teasing it, mocking it with its words while boasting of its own strength. And above that all, the Planet lurked…laughing at all of Griever's plans…all of what it had done…and saying that everything would in the end come to nothing. All of them were against the beast. All of them were working against it and laughing it down, wanting to make it weak and pathetic and as far away from its old self as possible. It was all an insult to it. And that knowledge Griever could not endure…would not endure… It glared at Bahamut wickedly, the fire in its eyes gleaming, and its voice like doom and ice.

**_"…I'll see you all in hell first before I give in to you, weakling."_**

With that, Griever immediately leapt away from Bahamut as far as it could. It sailed backward clear half a mile with one easy leap. It also shot up into the sky, and waited until it was a good position from the ground. It breathed heavy for a moment, glaring at Bahamut. Then, it closed its red eyes, brought its hands together in front of it, and bared its teeth. Immediately, the sky grew blacker than before. But the thunder ceased. The wind died down into nothing. The quaking stilled. Everything became quietas death… Not even a breeze went by, and all noise coming from the espers below, looking around curiously, and Bahamut on the ground seemed to be the loudest noises in the world.

Bahamut instantly recognized this…and his face turned to surprise.

"Griever, no! Don't do it!" He yelled.

But the thing wouldn't listen. It merely focused and grunted…as winds began to whip around it, and seep into the center of its palms.

* * *

"Dear God…"

The other espers turned and looked to Leviathan at that. The serpent was frozen in terror, staring up and looking at Bahamut and Griever. Over the past few moments, they had nearly begun to rejoice. It looked as if things were finally looking up and victory was possible. Wyvern was a bit melancholy, seeming to regret he didn't reach his own Omniapex. But no one cared. Victory against the strongest enemy ever was possible. Only now, Leviathan's look of terror distracted them.

"What now?" Odin shot back.

"I'm reading Bahamut's mind…" Leviathan replied breathlessly. "The amount of knowledge he has now…it's unbelievable. But he also recognized what Griever is doing. It's performing its own Omniapex: the Shockwave Pulsar."

"What does it do?" Starlet asked.

"It will create a center of gravity so strong it will collapse in on itself." Leviathan replied. "But that's not all. It will suck everything else into it too…including us and the Planet."

The espers turned white.

"It will compress us all into nothingness…and then explode, destroying anything that had a chance of survival."

Wyvern's eyes were wide, but he scowled in response. "You must see it wrong. It would kill itself if it did this!"

"It _will_ kill itself." Leviathan darkly answered. "But it doesn't care…it just wants to make sure Bahamut doesn't win."

The espers were silent at that. They looked up to the sky, and began to feel wind blowing from them toward Griever. Fear was upon them, and hopelessness had returned.

"…Now what?"

* * *

Bahamut hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly what to do next. However, time was running out. Griever couldn't make this attack in an instant, but he was running out of time. At last, only one solution came to mind…but Bahamut had no idea if it would work.

_Thank God there's sunlight here._

_Only one thing left to do…_

Bahamut immediately took off. He flew himself through the sky toward Griever, but didn't close the distance. Instead, he came right to the narrow part of the world where there sun was still shining down. There he stopped, and allowed his body to be fully bathed in the light. Immediately, Bahamut used his power to keep himself in the sky, and unfurled his wings fully while flying. He spread them out into the light as far as they could go, and held them there. Then, he too opened his mouth slightly and held it in front of him.

Over at Griever, the wind picked up. It now was strong enough to blow dust around. And it all gathered right into the space between its hands. The air began to grow cold around the monster, but it still came. Nothing happened yet, but the thing stiffened and continued to pull, as the wind grew steadily larger.

Bahamut focused and continued to hold. As he did, the sunlight continued to beat down on his wings. It did nothing for a moment. But then…the wings slowly began to light up. A soft glow began to appear on them as well, as if the sun was affecting them or going into them. Bahamut felt this come and kept holding, all while keeping his mouth open. Slowly, the glowing picked up more and more, continuing to build within the wings of the esper.

At Griever, the wind was now becoming strong. The dust clouds made distinct movements toward the space between the hands, and the sky began to rumble with thunder again. It grew colder, and pebbles began to raise and be drawn into the space. But as they reached a point in the center, they abruptly vanished. They seemed to simply wink out of existance. The sky grew darker, and the winds continued to build.

Bahamut kept focusing. As he did, the air began to grow charged around him. Power began to flow into it. A cloud of yellow energy began to form around the wings. It grew brighter and brighter as time went on, and became clearer as well. It began to become like a solar fire. The burning made a noise, and the energy coming off of it continued to build. It was visibly strong and growing stronger.

The wind now grew into a storm like power. It blasted around Bahamut too, and whipped his energy left and right. It began to pull up large rocks now, and the clouds overhead began to change and swirl as well. A sound of great combining and crushing emitted as the rocks were drawn into the space in Griever's hands. The air grew colder and darker yet…until only Griever's own red eyes and flame gleamed on in it. But still it grew. It began to look as if the light itself was beginning to swirl into the space between. And as it did…a small black orb, about the size of a speck of dust, formed in the center…

Bahamut strained and groaned, continuing to build power. The flames on his wings burst forth more than ever, showing off their new might. As the power grew, more wind was brought around himself as well. The ground beneath began to rumble, and soon began to shake more and more. The growing power pushed down on it, and a crater began to be pressed into the earth. Bahamut still built it up, straining and pushing as hard as he could. Still his wings grew brighter. The air began to crackle around him. The cloud turned different colors, and his wings shimmered more than ever.

The situation grew worse at Griever's. The ground began to be lifted up in huge chunks now. Sounds of crashing and destruction came from the black dot as rocks were literally warped and twisted before being sucked in. Light was being drawn into it now, as well as wind. The clouds swirled and raged, and then came down in a great funnel shaped cloud to be drawn into the dot as well. A crater was also being made at Griever's feet from the force being sucked into the orb. And the orb itself kept growing, reaching the size of a fist now while still enlarging. Black energy crackled around it.

The air now sizzling and charged, Bahamut stopped absorbing. Instead, the yellow aura was suddenly drawn inward to his wings, and sank into them. Once it was all inside and only the glowing wings remained, that energy too vanished. It seeped into Bahamut's main body, and went away into nothing. Only the ground continued to quake and the wind continued to whip. The power hadn't vanished at all. Bahamut opened his mouth wider at that. Immediately, a great piercing cry sounded through the sky. It was as if the sky was breaking. As it did, a new ball of fire formed. It began to grow right in front of Bahamut's face rather than in his throat. And as it did…it gleamed bigger and brighter than ever before. It was like a flame from the sun itself. The light would have blinded all, had not Griever's attack been absorbing the light.

Griever's own orb grew, reaching the side of its head. It crackled with darkness, and it showed nothing but a black, empty void within. One could see nothing there, nothing except the pieces of land being drawn into it and being crushed into oblivion. A storm was around him now, smashing everything and sucking it all into the emptiness of the orb. The air was ice cold now. It looked as if Griever was barely holding onto it. But hold it the creature did, and it glared hatefully at Bahamut.

The espers grabbed onto any secure piece of ground they could find and held on. Starlet pressed down on Palad to keep him down. It felt as if their bodies would be sucked into the vortex that Griever made. But even as they held, they felt their hair on the verge of bursting into flame from Bahamut's attack. The ground shook violently from his power. Both fighters were barely holding onto their attacks. It was almost a nightmare. No matter who won, it seemed as if the world was doomed from the aftermath. But the espers held on and waited as the powers grew and grew.

But then, at last, it was time to attack.

"SOL-PYRIN!"

**_"SHOCKWAVE PULSAR!"_**

With that, the two attacks went shooting at each other. Griever's didn't have much to it. It was just the single black orb shooting forward. It left a trail in its wake, however, as the air, light, and ground was ripped up and drawn into it. But as for Bahamut, there was much more. The small ball of light immediately erupted into a fiery, blazing comet of pure sun energy. It thundered forward at the attack as if it were apiece of the sun itself. It blazed a massive trail behind it, bathing Bahamut in flame that burned with all the colors of the rainbow, swirling in a mass if deadly, destructive energy. In front of it all, the single orb burned on and shot forward.

**_"FOOL!" _**Griever screamed…for the sound of the burning sky and the tearing up storm was so deafening now that none could hear anything. It seemed as if the world was breaking, and that all was dying. **_"There isn't an attack in the world that won't be absorbed! Prepare to DIE!"_**

The two attacks at that moment hit each other. Immediately, a tremendous cloud of energy erupted from both. Light and sun energy flew everywhere from the Sol-pyrin. The Shockwave Pulsar immediately erupted into deadly dark energy. Both of them threw it everywhere. The feelings of ice and heat tore apart the battlefield. Unable to watch, the espers ducked and hid themselves. Until now, the Sol-pyrin had shot right for Griever. But now, it was suddenly halted. It could not overcome this obstacle. It burned and sizzled, but both forces only moved slighly in either direction. Both continued to pour off more energy as they burned into each other.

Griever laughed insanely. **_"You're just feeding it! This is all over! You're DEAD!"_**

The two attacks fought more and more against each other, neither one breaking up. It looked like a standoff, and silently all prayed as to which one would give up first. The power continued to rage and burn, forcing back in either direction. Then, at long last, it happened…

The Sol-pyrin suddenly advanced slowly, and its own orb passed through the Shockwave Pulsar and bathed it in flame. After passing, it kept moving slowly for a moment, but then the black orb shrank and disappeared.

The Shockwave Pulsar was totally blown away…_and the Sol-pyrin still had power to keep going._

Griever's mad glee instantly turned into flabbergasted horror. It couldn't fathom it. But now, the ground and sky were no longer being torn apart by the Shockwave Pulsar. Instead, everything was being blasted one way and the other by the Sol-pyrin. Heat and light returned to Griever…and the heat was burning hotter than the warmest day and the light was growing more blinding than the sun. The light washed over Griever, and illuminated its black body. It highlighted it as it gaped in terror and anguish, staring at the Sol-pyrin coming closer and closer. At last, it opened its mouth and roared…but the whole sky was already filled with the roar of the Sol-pyrin. It was drowned out into nothing, and Griever could do nothing as the attack hit it.

Immediately, an explosion went off that was so strong that Bahamut was ripped out of the sky. A massive, multi-colored blast filled the air, and filled the vision of all for miles and miles around. The huge new mushroom cloud erupted into the sky in its prism colors, filling the air with light and glory and overwhelming power for all to see. The black clouds were blown away, pouring more sunlight onto the ground. But even that light was now dim compared to the burning blast of the Sol-pyrin. Three separate shockwaves rang out from all three tiers of the mushroom cloud. A crater was blasted in the ground that was so large that it swallowed up the other craters. Everything was blasted into atoms, and again the espers were torn off their positions and thrown farther away. It was all Starlet could do to protect Palad.

The blast lasted a full minute before dying down. The ground shook violently, and whatever wasn't a black crater was now exhumed and upheaved. The espers, lying another two-hundred feet away, began to dig themselves out again from buried rocks and piles of rubble. Wyvern was out first, pushing his way free and slowly rising to his feet out of the pile of debris. While the others struggled to get up, he looked and saw that Bahamut was near. Right now, he was crouched not a hundred feet in front of him. However, as the wind died and the vapor faded, he rose once again to his feet. Then he readily took off and went to the sky. Leviathan and Odin soon emerged, and stared in surprise too. Leviathan's biggest surprise was that, unlike the Megapyrin, Bahamut's power didn't seem to have decreased one degree. All the power had come from the sun. But the group continued to look up, waiting for signs of something.

Finally, the smoke did clear…but it revealed a very unusual sight.

Griever was there…but no longer in one piece. The three forms, burnt, blackened, and bloody, were hovering there instead. The Wisdom form's hair and clothes were gone. The Courage form was missing half of his armor, and his sword had melted. The horn had been snapped off of the Power form now, and its torso was covered with third degree burns. Griever…or Crusader…no longer had room to be mad now. They were too busy staring at their bodies, overwhelmed at what Bahamut had just done to them. Bahamut himself flew upward, and calmly stared at them without any change in expression.

"It…they returned to their fourth form…" Ogopogo murmured.

"What does that mean?" Starlet added as she brought Palad forward.

"It means that Griever is finished." Odin simply responded. "And Bahamut is definitely the strongest one on the Planet."

* * *

To be continued...


	22. He Who Laughs Last

"How…how did that happen?" Ogopogo exclaimed.

"That new attack of Bahamut's…it's beyond power." Odin remarked in shock. "Any of our own attacks would have been vaporized immediately."

"It's much bigger than that." Leviathan continued in awe. "Bahamut didn't use any of his new power at all to use it. All of that power came from the sun. Griever doesn't have a chance now. They aren't even half as powerful."

Odin frowned in response however.

"Somehow…I think this monster won't simply roll over and die."

* * *

The things were stunned. They continued to look down at themselves, shocked at both their pain and what form they had taken. They could hardly fathom how weak they had become. Slowly, they looked up and stared at Bahamut in shock. But Bahamut was cold and unyielding, hovering in front of them, and not the slightest bit worse for wear. The terrible energy had died down again. The sky was beginning to clear, and the quake was subsiding. Any rumbling that was still going on, or waves of energy going through the air, all came from the blue esper now.

**"W-W-What…what have you…done to us!"** The creatures stammered from all of their mouths. **"What…what kind of…of…of monster are you…!"**

"You're the only monster here, Griever." Bahamut simply replied. "I hesitated before not just because of Palad, but because I still saw something of what you used to be. But now I realize that if that person isn't dead now, then it never existed. The only thing keeping me from destroying you now is the fact that you're one of us, whether you deny it or not."

The things immediately went livid at that. They snarled, grit their teeth, and were enraged again. Still, they wouldn't take that kind of assignment.

"Just end this, Griever." Bahamut went on. "It's pointless to continue. I'm not going to ask you again."

Crusader looked back in anger. Its rage had not subsided in the least. Still, it was willing to kill itself if it could destroy Bahamut and everyone else. But now, it was beginning to feel fear and terror. It was beginning to realize how much stronger Bahamut was. It could not deny that fact no matter what it thought. Yet it still was determined to win…at any and all costs. Yet it knew the plain truth now…Bahamut's new Omniapex was indeed far stronger than it's own. Yet there was something that Bahamut still didn't know. In reality…a single body couldn't hold the power of its true Omniapex. It was only now, that it was broken into three pieces, that it could perform this move. With that in mind…it began to think. Still possessing great wisdom, it did indeed think of a plan. It was risky…but it did have some good aspects to it. Namely, it would ensure that no matter what happened, the victory of Bahamut would be bitter as wormwood.

The monsters hissed at Bahamut, and drew themselves up. **"Big, powerful Bahamut… You think you're so strong. But again, your pity makes you weak. We may lack the power to destroy you, but we can still ruin your victory. If we cannot possess the Crystal, then no one shall!"**

With that, Crusader's power form abruptly turned around, pointed its palm at the Crystal, still shimmering and hovering on the ground, and fired off a Mort-Kelvin. Bahamut bolted up, and looked up to the attack. He thought of moving to dodge it…but he dared not. For he had grown wise since last time. He was actually in a strategic place at the moment…between his brothers and sisters and Griever. But he still looked upto the Crystal. Fear pervaded him, and he thought of breaking off to go after it anyway. But it was too late. Crusader made its last shot at Palad slow on purpose, so that Bahamut would race to beat it to the human. But this shot was meant to land, and was going too fast. He could do nothing. He could only watch in anxiety and shock as the shot struck the Crystal head on…and immediately erupted into an explosion of powerful, beaming, violet light.

* * *

The other espers looked on in surprise, and immediately looked away from the bright blast. Bahamut himself shielded his eyes, and the Crusaders barely were able to look on. Another deal of dust and smoke was thrown into the air as another crater was blasted into the ground. The espers all feared the worse, while Crusader hoped for it. In the end, however, the smoke died down again along with the light. The group all looked back, and slowly uncovered their eyes, looking to the Crystal.

The once unified rock was now split into four pieces of roughly equal size, all laying in a pile on the ground.

The espers were initially shocked at this. Some even looked worried. But not Bahamut, who sighed in relief. He quickly smiled afterward. Meanwhile, Crusader cursed itself for having lost so much power. It hadn't the force to destroy the Crystal completely, as it had intended. That was what had made Bahamut relieved. Now that he had his new knowledge, he realized that the Crystal was an enhancer of the Planet's power and redirected it throughout the Planet. If it had been destroyed any more…then it could have laid the world waste.

**"Damn…"** The thing cursed.

"You see that your power's fading?" Bahamut responded. "Just give up now."

Crusader hesitated a moment at that. But then, all three monsters looked up to Bahamut…and grinned evilly. The look immediately made Bahamut's blood run cold.

**"You misunderstand. True, we wanted to destroy the Crystal, but this will serve the purpose. You see, there is still one thing we have left. Our true power is only revealed when we are in this form. And right now, we're ready to show it to you."**

Immediately, the three Crusaders moved in the sky. They arranged themselves around each other while in mid-air, forming a triangle shape. Once there, each one of them quickly shifted into a different position, all looking in some sort of dynamic array. Bahamut was puzzled at this. The Planet hadn't told him anything about this power. However, he soon was gaping in terror…for the undeniable force soon began to arise…

As before, the sky turned dark. Only this time it was much worse. The sun was totally blotted out now, and the clouds turned black. The sky had seemed to turn into night. The ground began to shake again, but much worse than before. Pillars of earth began to be thrown up. The fragments of the Crystal were scattered as a huge piece of land threw up and scattered them. The espers were thrown about violently. Starlet held onto Palad more protectively than before. Odin arched up and prepared to call out to Slepnir. A nearby mountainside shook and totally collapsed. Fragments of what seemed to be burning light were thrown up with the pieces of the world. The winds returned, and this time…they did form funnel clouds. They shot all the way down to the world around the area, and began to tear up the mountains. Tornados were soon surrounding them. Bahamut looked around in shock, marveling at this new power. Thunder and lightning crashed all around, the only illumination now.

Slowly, however, something began to form. A great triangle seemed to appear in mid-air between the three Crusaders, one point to each creature. It built rapidly. The energy that made it up was burning red, deep and swirling with power. Even from where Bahamut was, he could feel the power. He felt the ripples of it nearly pushing him back, and the heat soon began to grow uncomfortable that came from it. It continued to burn and build, making the same searing sound that Bahamut's Sol-Pyrin had. But it didn't quit. It just kept growing stronger and stronger, blazing like a fire of darkness in the midst of the darkness around them. The tremors and lightning only grew worse as it built. Bahamut was shocked. He thought of taking the blow before, because Crusader's current form was too weak to destroy him…but now he realized it was far too strong. He needed to counter it…except the sun had been blotted out. He couldn't perform his Sol-Pyrin without it. What more…the power just continued to build and grow…and it soon surpassed first Griever's Shockwave Pulsar…then Bahamut's Sol-Pyrin. It only grew stronger and stronger as time went on, casting up more vapor and power. The force was so strong that rocks were obliterated around it, and it only grew more.

As time wore on, Bahamut realized the mistake he had made. He had waited too long. If he was going to stop Crusader now, he had to kill them this second. Right now…the newest attack was far stronger than _him_. But just as he was about to shoot forward…it was too late. The monsters bellowed their attack.

**_"PURIFIER!"_**

Immediately, the triangle shot forward a triangle-shaped beam of burning light. The fire was like a maelstrom as it blasted forward in the beam. It burned with horrible energy strong enough to wipe out a portion of the Planet itself. Bahamut froze immediately. There was only one thing he could do now. Quickly, he used all his power to shove himself to the side. Even so, he barely missed the massive, deadly beam as it went shooting by. He felt its horrible heat burning his arm and wing as he went. The huge beam was sustained, and it continued to burn and shoot for a quite a while. Bahamut, growing fearful, thought that the beam could still hit the Planet and do terrible damage. But as he turned around and looked at it, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that the beam was merely going into the sky. It soon vanished into the clouds. The force still ripped the clouds into nothingness, atomizing the vapor and making them recede from the blast, but it hit nothing else.

Finally, the horrible blast died down. As it did, the sky only slowly returned to its normal color. The quakes only slowly receded. Everything took a while to die down. But the Crusaders relaxed and panted, having used a tremendous amount of their remaining strength to produce that. Bahamut looked in the sky and followed after the blast. The hole was still in the cloud cover, and it didn't close. What intrigued him, however, was that he could still see the burning light beyond it, that had come from the Purifier. Even after everything had died down, the sky still rumbled a little. The clouds remained a little dark too. That unnerved Bahamut… What sort of attack could leave this long of a lasting impression? But he turned back to Crusader at that.

"That's enough." He coldly stated. "Your last attempt to kill me has failed. You've lost. Next time you try that, I'll be ready to answer back with a Sol-pyrin."

The things panted a bit longer. But then…to everyone's surprise, they grinned evilly. They began to darkly chuckle at Bahamut. As they did so, and regained their breath, they soon laughed a lot harder. Their wicked voices continued to rise and cheer in merriment, all the while they looked at Bahamut with sadistic glee. On the ground, Wyvern sneered at Crusader for being a fool. But Bahamut did not. That voice was the most insidious yet. It made his blood run cold. He hated to hear it, and realized that it meant something very, very terrible.

**"You little fool!"** The things blasted in triumph at last. **"I haven't lost, you have! I wasn't aiming for you, you little pest…I was aiming for Ultima Nexus!"**

The espers turned white.

"What!" Bahamut shot back. His tone was laced with disbelief and shock. That blast had been so strong it could have blown up any island in the world… But it had aimed for their home? It had been struggling to destroy that? The shock gripped Bahamut almost as much as any other death would, and he was frozen in horror.

Crusader laughed darkly. **"Yes, Bahamut. My attack just blew a hole through the magnetic core that kept your precious land in the sky. Soon it will be nothing but a fiery cinder at the bottom of the ocean of this world. You and your friends will never be able to eat the food there again, and you'll certainly never be able to share it with any damnable humans."** The thing paused a moment, then grinned more wickedly. **"Of course…that won't matter in a few minutes either."**

The sound of the thing's voice made Bahamut's blood run cold. He clenched his teeth in anger and demanded an answer. "What?"

**"When Ultima Nexus crashes into the ocean, it will cause every coastline on the Planet to be ravaged by a tidal wave."** The monster darkly responded. **"Every last human settlement on this Planet will be destroyed instantly. All humans will be wiped out into nothingness. The only one who knew where they all were was us, and the only way for anyone to find them is to use the Crystal. But now that that's broken, it can never be used again for that purpose. In thirty minutes, there won't be a human left on this world."**

The news came like a crushing blow. The espers all shared a defeated, overwhelmed appearance. Some of the others might deny it, but Bahamut knew that the fiend was speaking the truth. It wasn't lying about any of this. The words struck him like cold shafts piercing his heart. He could only hover in silence, nearly dropping altogether from the shock of the news. The others, below, were much the same. Crusader laughed hard at all of them.

**"All of you are wretched, stupid fools!"** They bellowed. **"You honestly think I would let you have this world? You all tried so hard…but in the end you all failed the humans that you love. They'll all die because of your failure…but especially because of you, Bahamut. Your pitiful mercy is what killed them all. You could have finished me, but like a brainless oaf you waited until I had fully charged my attack and sealed the doom of this world. You've all failed, and forever you'll have that on your conscience."**

Bahamut didn't know what to say. He looked to the ground in horror at the words of Crusader. In truth…it was right. It had been his fault. He had persisted in thinking there was something worth saving in the evil being, and now it had cost him. Even with all his power, he knew he couldn't outdo what had just been done. He _had_ failed. Everything had failed. They had won the battle…only to lose the war.

Crusader grinned wickedly, then turned their backs to Bahamut. **"Have fun scrambling to think of what you can do before the end, my _dear_ family. We'll be headed to Ultima Nexus ourselves…to watch the carnage destroy all you struggled to make. You have about twenty-eight minutes now."** With that, the monster immediately turned and shot away, flying as fast and as hard as it could. Weakened as it was, it was still faster than all of them, and soon had vanished on the horizon.

Bahamut was left to stand in stunned silence.

* * *

"This…this has to be…some nightmare…" Ogopogo lamented.

But it wasn't. The espers looked to the sky, and saw that the red light had actually grown in the opening of the clouds. They were growing darker again, and the sky was beginning to rumble more than before. The espers were frozen in horror. Palad himself, having heard the monster's words, began to grow hysterical again, trembling and gaping in fear. Wyvern was the only one who wasn't. His face was angry instead. He glared up at Bahamut furiously, directing all his anger to him. For the first time ever…he spoke to Bahamut in genuine anger.

"Bahamut…you fool!" He snapped, in a voice so strong that it shocked the others into turning and looking at him. "Why didn't you finish it! _Why!_ That monster deserved to die and you knew it! If you had only just destroyed it none of this would have happened! Now our home is gone and everything else is going to be gone too! Why didn't you give me any of your power! Then I would have finished it for you!" It spun around to the others at this. "And why didn't you guys!" It accused. "I would have killed it without hesitation!" It turned back to Bahamut in rage. "I didn't give you my strength to have you waste it!"

All were silent after that. Wyvern's biting insults rang in their ears for a moment. But Bahamut still was slumped in mid-air, and soon the others thought of the situation again. Starlet's eyes began to fill with tears. Odin bowed his head in defeat. Leviathan and Ogopogo quivered and looked down. Wyvern fumed at Bahamut further, but soon bowed his own head and began to look angry more at the situation than anything.

"It's actually over…" Leviathan moaned.

At last, one did change. Abruptly, Bahamut spun around to face the others, and immediately held out his palms to them. They saw this, and quickly snapped up and looked at him. The look of boldness had returned. His face was dark and focused once again, and his expression was unyielding. Yet as they stared at him…the espers felt different. In a flash, all of their power began to flow back into them again. Their previous drained state vanished, and each one of them was suddenly back at maximum strength. They all appeared amazed at this, but Bahamut simply lowered his hands and spoke quickly. His voice had urgency in it, and he commanded.

"Guys, there's no time. Do what I say right now." He turned to Odin first. "Call Slepnir, and everyone get on it and get out of here. But take Phoenix's magicite with you and the pieces of the Crystal." He turned to the serpents next. "Leviathan, Ogopogo, both of you look for them right now." He turned back to Palad after that. "Palad, you know where villages are, don't you?"

Palad blinked in surprise, shocked to see that Bahamut had spoken to him. He stammered a moment, but Bahamut hard look filled him with bravery and the urge to respond. He managed a nod. "Yeah…yes, I know some."

"Lead the others to them." Bahamut responded. "Find as many people as you all can…save as many people as you all can. Move them to where we're keeping the others and bring them all uphill and away from the ocean. Odin, Wyvern…you two can fly so you should do most of the finding and gathering. The rest of you take the people farther uphill or go the coast and look for more people."

"What about you?" Leviathan asked.

Bahamut narrowed his gaze darkly.

"I'm going to try and save the plants from Ultima Nexus…and I will kill Crusader."

Without another word, Bahamut turned and took off at full speed.

* * *

The dark world was soon undergoing a change.

The fiery glow that had begun over the sky was just the start. Soon, all of the clouds were turning a slight tint of red. And as they did, the thunder picked up again. But there was no rain this time. Instead, there was only the charging force of the lightning. It was all over the world now. The sky continued to turn black as well, an unnatural dark shade. The clouds began to swirl and twist over themselves in the sky. Now, all over the world, funnel clouds began to form. It was as if the world really was ending.

And that is exactly what the group of people the espers had gathered thought as they looked into the sky. They clutched each other in terror and cried out at the sight. Children buried their heads against their parents. Adults screamed and pointed at each new frightening change. The wind was picking up around them, growing worse than ever. It was in everyone's mind that Griever had come to destroy them all after they had moved. It was some sort of punishment coming down on all of them.

But as they panicked, one of them pointed out something in the sky. They all looked, and soon saw some new shapes arive. As they came closer, it became obvious it was the great monsters from before. They were headed right for the group, and within a few moments they descended and landed right in the midst of them. The people immediately moved back, giving them all the room they desired. But the monsters reacted quickly. They all jumped off the one great horse that they had with them, and the one human that was dressed and in their midst came down and quickly motioned to all of them.

"Everyone! Come here! We've got to move somewhere else!"

* * *

An anger was swelling in Bahamut now.

He flew as fast as he could forward, constantly moving higher and higher into the sky. As he did, the skies continued to darken overhead. They rumbled more and more, but this time with something more audible than thunder. It sounded like cracking or breaking, as if the earth was overhead and was quaking apart. Yet it was still a way off, and even at maximum speed Bahamut realized he might be too late. The clouds all had a red tint to them now, showing a fire deeper within them or beyond them. They were swirling more around the Planet, and breaking occassionally. But they showed no sun, only more glowing and trouble overhead.

Bahamut pushed himself onward with renewed vigor. He had a dim hope that the others were saving the humans. But right now, most of his concern was on finding and killing Crusader. He realized the horrible mistake he had made…the mistake he kept making throughout the fight. But no longer. It was clear to him now that Crusader would never be one of them, and would never work with the other espers. It would always try to destroy and conquer, and right now its latest destruction meant almost a genocide for one race on the Planet. Crusader would never do it again. He couldn't risk the fiend reaching the Crystal or humanity and finishing what it started.

But despite all that, Bahamut actually pitied the creature. All of them had learned to love both the humans and the Planet, but Crusader had not. All it had ever seen was their evil. That was all it understood. In that light, Bahamut wondered if the monster was totally to blame. It was born with the knowledge to try and sort out good from bad, and somewhere along the line it could have been confused about humanity. But compassionate as this train of thinking was, Bahamut pushed it out of his head before long. He wouldn't allow himself to focus on mercy again when he found Crusader.

The great esper continued to thunder on toward Ultima Nexus. He was about halfway there now…and had about eighteen minutes left.

* * *

"Ok, that's the last of them!"

The sky was starting to look like it was a fire now. The clouds had turned black, but the fire beyond them was growing. It was now glowing orange as well as red and swirling withing them. The clouds went this way and that, and funnel clouds were again forming. The wind whipped around the trees now, and was rather hard at this point. The trees were blown one way and the other, and they seemed to bend under the power. But despite how bad the situation was getting, the last of the first group had been moved to a much higher hill away from the ocean.

Starlet quickly put three people down, two in either arm with one, Palad, having his arms wrapped around her neck. Ogopogo had another five riding on his extra large back, and set them down as well. Both of them immediately turned and looked to the sky afterward, to see what other progress was happening. Moments later, Odin descended on Slepnir, carrying people on his body like Starlet had been, and another three on Slepnir's back. They all quickly came off as well. Wyvern was next, holding a human in each claw, one caught by his tail, and seven on his back. He had been a bit overloaded and almost lost some of them, and as a result they readily got off on landing. After that, they paused for a moment. Ogopogo looked around in puzzlement.

"Where's Leviathan?"

"Right here!"

The four espers turned…and immediately gaped in surprise. Leviathan was there, but he wasn't slithering on the ground. He seemed to be dancing in the sky, shooting around in it and zig-zagging his way toward the others. He had six people on his own back, and looked to be struggling. However, he did descend and reached the others. Immediately, he went down and touched the ground, then let his passengers off. The confused humans turned to run to the other people, and the espers stared at Leviathan dumbfounded. The esper himself looked up to the others. He saw their stares at him, and immediately he blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Heh…heh…"

"How…how did you do that?" Starlet stammered.

"Yeah!" Wyvern added. "You don't have any wings! How are you flying?"

Leviathan looked a little nervous in reply, but then managed a shrug. "Well…uh…after Bahamut reached the level of Omniapex, I saw that he could now fly without using his wings. So I read his mind and saw how he was doing it…I saw it wasn't all that hard…and when we got over here I decided to give it a shot." He smiled innocently.

The others stared silently back for a moment, still amazed that Leviathan so easily learned something it had taken so long for Bahamut to get. No one said a word. But after a few moments, Ogopogo brightened up. "Neat! Can you teach me?"

"Teach him later." Odin darkly answered, not only not caring, but also not wanting a repeat of what happened with Bahamut and Wyvern earlier. "We've got to get moving. Now that you can fly, you can help me and Wyvern get to the farther people. How are we on time?"

"Fourteen minutes." Starlet answered.

Palad, having settled the other people down, now abandoned them and quickly ran up to the other espers once again. "Guys! There's a village just about a mile north of here on the coast!"

"Alright." Odin answered. "Starlet, you and Ogopogo go and start emptying it. I've already spotted three other villages from the sky, and we've already hit them. Leviathan, you, me and Wyvern will start moving from them. Let's get going as fast as we can." The warrior esper hesitated a moment, then darkly added.

"…I don't know if we'll even be able to finish those before time's up…"

* * *

_Ten minutes left…_

The sky had grown very violent now. The skies were filling with fire, and tornados were reaching down and scraping the ocean. The winds were picking up and were alternating between hot and cold. The sky was shaking, and occassionally a burning piece of rock would fall from it. Time was running out, and it grew harder and harder for Bahamut to stay in the sky. Eventually, the esper decided to fly above the clouds and get out of the chaos below.

But as soon as Bahamut got above the clouds, he noticed a surprising change. Not only was the sky clear and blue up here, while all the disaster raged below, he noticed, for the first time, that it was possible to get to Ultima Nexus from other ways. Rather than enter the great tunnel from before, as Bahamut rose above the clouds he saw that world was clear just a bit above the gray cover. The sun beat down and infused the esper with new strength. He enjoyed it a lot…until he finally did reach Ultima Nexus. Once there, he saw a startling revelation.

The great land mass seemed to hover in the sky. It was much higher above the clouds, nearly scraping the sky it seemed. It seemed unnatural, like a great disk of rock just hovering there. However, there was a hole in the center, and from that hole a great tunnel of air and clouds issued. It poured down from the island in this form and then hit the Planet, where it spread into the cloud cover that blotted out the sun. Bahamut understood this now. The Crystal was supposed to be in Ultima Nexus, where it could send down the Planet's energy upon itself to constantly renew it. But since Crusader took it, it now gave nothing but cold wind and dark clouds, plunging the world below into a sunless, frozen void.

And now, it gave even worse.

Ultima Nexus was wavering in the sky. The entire island shifted one way and the other. As it did, pieces of it periodically fell off and went to the ground. Pieces of it were also swept into the vortex, and that in turn scattered them on the world below. What more, the entire island was in flames. Fire was everywhere on it, and more came out as the rocks broke and lava was thrown up around it. It fountained up black smoke and burned and shook like it would shatter at any moment. It appeared to be burning, breaking, and melting all at once. And as Bahamut drew closer, it felt more violent than ever. He saw the source too. A great hole had been made in the island…about an eighth the size of it. As he flew closer, he saw that it was smoking and smoldering. No doubt, Crusader's attack had done this. At any rate, the hole was slowing getting wider as pieces of the island flew apart and fell off. Lava was coming out from the wound in the earth. And all of the fiery destruction was being swept up in the vortex and showered on the Planet below. And through it all…the great island was slowly sinking.

As Bahamut flew forward into the blackness, he felt his heart aching. Crusader had taken much from him, and now it had taken his home as well. Their home. Their gift from their mother. The monster would never be satisfied now. It would continue to hurt until it made others as miserable as it, or killed them. Bahamut knew he couldn't spare it. He forced himself to think merciless thoughts. As he continued getting closer, the smoke began to come around him. It grew thicker and thicker as he drew nearer, and filled with burning embers. He pushed on for a while…but then he felt his eyes begin to burn. He started to cough, his air cut off by the burning. His visibility began to decrease, and his eyes started to water. At last, unable to take anymore, Bahamut dove downward. He only did so for a few seconds, before the sky cleared up…and his feet touched quivering ground. Once there, he stood, and stared silently at the sight around him.

Everything was gone.

Leviathan and Ogopogo's old pool was filling with ash and sizzling like acid. Odin's cave had already collapsed. Starlet's dwelling was in flames. Phoenix…Phoenix's tree…had fallen down and was also burning. The mountains that Wyvern and Bahamut had played on were shaking apart. The fields they had eaten from were filled with fire and ash. Places where Bahamut had ran with Palad were now crumbling from beneath and falling into sinkholes. There was no sunlight anywhere…just the burning red of the fires surrounding him and the thick blackness overhead. There wasn't a sign of life or warmth anywhere. The insects had left or died. The flowers were burning. The old mountain chains were breaking and falling into the ocean or sliding down onto the rest of the island. Finally, the hill where Bahamut had played with Wyvern, where they had all their games…was no more. It had been vaporized by Crusader's blast. Everything was gone. All was lost.

_Just like our old selves…_ Bahamut thought as he looked at this.

Something was strange. He felt incredibly sad to look at it. He felt as if a part of himself was dying as he saw his home turned to a wasteland and die before his eyes. Yet at the same time…he felt a sense that he had always been preparing for this. This meant something more. Since he had left to fight the Four Fiends…no, since the first time he had descended to the world below, he realized he was not the same esper. He had changed, and only now was the change completed. This was not an ending. It was a culmination. Seeing Ultima Nexus die merely brought something clear into Bahamut's mind… They could never go back. They could never return to the days where they lived in blissful ignorance. They could never just exist and play with their lives. No…this was a change for them all. Today, they said goodbye to childhood things. They were embracing adulthood, and moving on into a new life. The old one, now, would never come back.

Bahamut slowly bent his head at this, pausing for the loss of youth and innocence. But as he bowed his head, he saw something…not a cause of sorrow but for hope. Below him, at his feet…there was one dried flower left. It had seemed already dead, and indeed it had been dying. But it had not died in vain. For in dying, the flower had given birth to a fruit, in which contained a seed. It was almost mature as well. Seeing this, Bahamut saw hope…perhaps the seed could grow. Perhaps not all of the plants were dead. Immediately, the esper reached down and scooped it up. He held it in his palm and clenched tight, as if he was betting not only on the hope for its future but for his own. New life had to come out of this destruction, or it would all be for nothing.

**"We knew you'd come back."**

Bahamut raised his head, but did not turn around right away. When he did, it was only very slowly. His eyes narrowed and grew dark again. His mouth tightened. He realized he was turning to see the crater itself. But he did turn, and at long last he had his back to the destruction and faced the crumbling hole in the island. There, standing/hovering at the edge of it…were the three parts of Crusader. Their faces were dark and menacing now, and their eyes filled with madness. They gleamed at Bahamut with a ravenous look, but also had a sense of triumph on their faces.

Bahamut's fists tightened. "You're psychotic." He told the thing, over the rumbling and destruction around him. "If you have any decency left…if you have anything of the matron who raised us and loved us still in you…you'll use your power to destroy this island before it hits the ground and kills millions."

Crusader merely tilted back their heads and laughed in reply. They seemed to almost be mocking Bahamut, and deriving joy that they could cause him more pain by denying on of his requests. Bahamut fumed in anger. He knew that not even his Sol-pyrin could destroy this piece of land before it touched down. People were going to die, and Crusader's madness had sealed their fate.

At last, Bahamut snorted at the thing. "…You're nothing but a coward, Crusader." He accused, making the creatures pause a moment. "You're the greatest coward of all…and the most immature of all of us. You had so much power and you thought you ruled over everything. But you were ruled by your fear. Your paranoia and fear that someone could be stronger than you drove you mad. It's leading you to kill countless innocents. And all because you can't stand to have anyone stronger than you. The Planet was wrong…you weren't made more mature than us. You were made less. You're throwing a tantrum like an infant, lashing out at anything that makes you cry."

Crusader sneered at this in response. The monsters seemed irritated at that, and Bahamut readied himself for an attack. But after a few moments, the creatures softened, and merely snorted at Bahamut. Then they grinned wickedly.

**"And what makes you think, little Bahamut, that you'll be any better than us? What makes you think that you won't share in 'my horrible fate'? You cast me in the perfect role of villain in your little play while you proclaim yourself the noble hero. But you never saw the humans when they had their own civilization. You never felt the evil radiating off this world that came not from I, but from them. Neither you nor our mother ever understood that. This world, and everything on it, deserves to die. You'll rule it with your own iron fist, as I did, mark our words. That, or you will be made their slave."**

Bahamut frowned in response, and put himself at the ready. "Regardless of what happens, your future ends now. If you won't help me, then stand down. I'm going to do whatever I can to keep this island from killing so many when it lands."

The Crusaders simply grinned evilly in reply. Their faces beamed in triumph. Immediately, the three of them jumped into the sky as they did before…for the Purifier attack. Bahamut looked up at that, and saw them do this. Immediately, he saw them strike their poses, and they began to generate their energy again. The power began to form in the shape of a triangle once more.

**"You wretch!" **They laughed evilly. **"You're the one who has no future! We never planned to kill ourselves, only you! We knew you'd come back here! But there's no sunlight! You can't generate your Sol-pyrin! They'll be nothing left of you but ash once we've finished our Purifier!"** The thing laughed hideously at this, and continued to focus energy. Madness was in all of their eyes. **"We win!"** They laughed in glee. **"Prepare to die!"**

Bahamut was surprised for a moment. He stared at the triangle as it grew in power. It became larger and larger, and was burning with even more deadly energy than before. If anything…it looked like it would be even stronger than the last one. The sky grew darker and the ground shook more. But Bahamut, in reply, slowly bowed his head and frowned.

"You fool… I can't do the Sol-pyrin…but my Mega-pyrin only takes seconds now."

Bahamut shot his head up at that. His wings unfurled, he dug his feet into the ground, and he opened his mouth. Red orbs formed immediately in the air and shot into his mouth, and the fire soon blazed in a blinding ball inside his throat. The ground's shaking was immediately overwhelmed by Bahamut's own, and the smoke overhead was pushed back as a crater gathered at Bahamut's feet. The sky thundered and shot down more lightning around him as the esper charged more and more. Crusader's faces went white. And they stared in shock and fear.

**"No…_it can't be!"_**

_"MEGA-PYRIN!"_

Again, the horrible chain of fire erupted from Bahamut's mouth. It formed into a massive, blazing cloud, burning so much more strongly than before. Its power overshadowed Crusader's in an instant. Each orb that sailed to the creatures had more than enough power to kill them. The darkness was blown away in the new pure fire. The monsters glared on in wide-eyed shock, staring in terror as they saw the attack sail straight for their own Purifier. They watched as the first three orbs connected with the growing triangle and exploded, each one weakening it until the energy itself exploded. The purple, searing energy washed over them instead, stretched them out and drowning out their screams as Bahamut's wave hit them. Soon, they were totally enveloped in burning fire, and explosions rocked them left and right. Despite the blinding light, which grew brighter and washed them away, Bahamut looked into it. He watched and saw as their still screaming faces were enveloped and they became shadows in the horrible mixture of the Purifier and Mega-pyrin. One blast obliterated the shadow of the Wisdom form, blowing it into nothingness. Another blast severed the Courage form into two parts, both of which burnt away. Ball after ball hit the Power form, blasting its pieces away one at a time until the shadow too vanished into the light and heat. A new powerful crater was blown into the island. Burning fragments were sent everywhere. Over it all, Crusader's last earth-shaking yell sounded even after their bodies burnt away into nothingness.

At last, the blast ceased. The fires turned down and subsided. The quaking and darkness lifted, and the only destruction still going on was that from Ultima Nexus itself. In front of Bahamut was a new crater now, also smoldering and black. And in the midst of it…was nothing. Nothing but smoke. The aura of Crusader had disappeared. There was none left.

Bahamut alone stood on the island now, glaring at the blackened hole with such a look as if he had become an angel of judgment.

"…Farewell, Crusader."

* * *

To be continued...


	23. Commencement

The espers just finished dropping another load. Things were getting bad now. The firestorm overhead had reached its peak. The tornados were beginning to flame up and shoot down their fires on the world below. Large boulders were dropping into the sea, periodically sending up a great spout of water. A growing shadow was beginning to form over a part of the sky. Chaos was reaching its highest point. The wind whipped the trees violently below and stripped some bare. The humans were pressing themselves to the ground and crying in terror about the wrath of Griever. It wasn't going to be long now…

"That's the last for my village." Odin announced, turning and looking up to the sky. He frowned at the sight. It couldn't have taken Bahamut this long to finish Crusader. Why wasn't he back yet?

"Mine too." Leviathan answered. He turned to Palad afterward. "Where's next?"

Wyvern frowned a bit as he let his down. "I don't think we have any more time. We might be able to get in one more trip, but that's it."

"Then let's go together." Starlet answered. "Maybe together we can empty a town."

"Alright." Leviathan answered. But at that, he noticed that Odin was staring at the sky. He turned to him in puzzlement, and called out to him. "Odin? What's wrong?"

The warrior esper didn't answer. He continued to stare at the sky darkly, not saying a word.

"We don't have time for delays, Odin." Wyvern immediately snapped. "We're almost out of time."

Odin paused a moment longer. But then, he finally bowed his head and spoke behind him, without turning. "The rest of you go on ahead. I'm headed to Ultima Nexus."

The other espers, as expected, were rather surprised at this answer.

"What?" Ogopogo asked.

"Odin, we need you." Leviathan answered.

"You're not thinking of being a big shot and fighting that thing, are you?" Starlet asked in a cynical voice.

"I'm not that stupid." Odin darkly answered…secretly angry at the half-insult. "I'm going to see what's keeping Bahamut. I don't have a good feeling about this. He might need my help."

Wyvern scowled and crossed his arms. "Hmph. And what can you do to help him? I'm the second strongest here, and far above the rest of you."

"Like it or not, if no one else is going, I am." Odin simply responded. He turned Slepnir around at that and prepared to spur him on.

"Wait! We need your help to finish with the humans!" Leviathan protested.

"We can't save them all anyway." Odin simply answered. "And if Griever still manages to kill Bahamut somehow, it won't matter anyway. I'm leaving."

With that, and without another word, Odin spurred Slepnir on. The six-legged horse instantly took off into the air and leapt in the direction of the growing firestorm in the sky. The others could only watch and wait behind, some wondering why he left, some angry at his stupidity…and some beginning to consider whether or not Odin's possibility was true.

* * *

Bahamut desperately searched the ground of the island. It was growing more unstable all the time. The ground was beginning to fall out from beneath in places, and it was rocking and shaking terribly. The smoke and fire was continuing to come out, and began to erupt lava. Normally, Bahamut would have left Ultima Nexus as fast as he could. But one thing kept him there…one thing that he knew had to lay somewhere in the crater where Crusader had stood…the magicite.

Bahamut knew it had to be there. He knew…because even though the power of Crusader had vanished at long last…the evil force remained, and it was as potent as ever. Somehow, a part of Crusader lived. And so he desperately searched the ground. He ran around within the crater he had made, ignoring the sizzling ground, and constantly searching around the fissures and cracks for a sign of anything. He saw nothing at first, but still he continued to look desperately. He knew it had to be there. He tried to stay in the center…he tried to focus his own sensing ability to focus in on the shard. He couldn't let it get away now, when it could wash up on some shore later and reappear. He had to find it…

Then, at last, in all the flames and quakes, a sparkle caught Bahamut's eye. Immediately, he snapped his whole head to it, and his sensing ability confirmed it. The esper dove to the ground, and pried away a few large slabs of stone and dirt. But after digging a bit, he managed to expose the relic. He reached down and touched it. His hand felt cold as the icy wickedness inside traveled through him. Only now, feeling the full measure of Crusader's cruelty, did Bahamut realize how futile it had been to reason with or try and change Crusader. The evil had grown too strong, pushing out the good. And so, he pulled up the shard and held it before him, all the while his hand tingling with the evil power. It looked much like Phoenix's, only the feelings were different. The light shimmered blood red on it, and the warmth and love of Phoenix was void on this cold stone.

Even as the island continued to break apart around Bahamut, he realized he had to give pause for a second. He felt the power of the evil radiating off the stone. And he knew it held within it the same destructive power that had obliterated the continent under his feet. He had to do something about it. He couldn't let it go free to fall into the hands of another. If it went to any other person, the evil could consume them. Crusader might be able to take them over and act through them. He dared not let it go free. But then again, even if it was with the espers, it might one day overcome them as well. It had taken over Crusader, and it had been an esper too. They dare not keep it either.

They had to put it somewhere where no one could ever get it. But time changed rivers and oceans and eroded mountains. They couldn't store it anywhere that would never change. The espers themselves were immortal. But there was always the chance that one of them would take it too. It seemed like a loss, that there was no way to ensure no one would ever use it.

However…one idea did come to mind. They were immortal… Perhaps, simply placing the magicite in a place where it could never be used…in the strongest thing on the Planet that would never fall and live forever…that would be enough to make sure no one would ever get it and avoid it ever tempting anyone. That was the only idea Bahamut could think of, as the only viable alternative. And so, he carried it out.

Bahamut opened his mouth wide, raised the magicite to it, and swallowed it whole.

No sooner had the rock run down his esophagus and entered his stomach, however…than Bahamut began to feel rather unwell. A sickening feeling went through him at first. The esper stood uneasily a little, and wavered a bit on his feet. However…that was only the beginning. Abruptly, he felt the evil from the magicite radiate throughout him. It penetrated his veins like fire in his blood, and quickly began to spread throughout. His skin felt on fire. His heart turned to ice. But worst of all…he felt a numbing jolt run through his limbs. His hands and legs began to twist and move on their own. His back began to arch. The force continued to do this and grew stronger with time. Bahamut clenched his teeth and tried to push the feeling out. But it was useless. He could barely suppress it in his body…and it was growing stronger. It began to overwhelm him, and what more…he felt it begin to figure in his brain and thinking. He couldn't focus. He felt dizzy in the head, and he felt as if some black cloud was washing over it…like unconsciousness only worse. It was growing stronger and had its own force over it.

Bahamut struggled and buckled under it. He managed to raise his hands to his head and clenched it, but the feeling continued to rise and grow stronger. It rose and ebbed like waves in a flood, always getting overall larger but radiating as well. He couldn't suppress it. All of the strength he had gained was useless, and his own mental ability, no matter how strong, was only delaying it. Through the growing power and pain…he heard a voice inside him.

_Yes…we knew someone would be foolish enough to try something like this someday, Bahamut. We didn't know you'd be so stupid as to do it only moments after our death. Now we live again. Soon this flesh will be ours, and we will be stronger than ever before. Then we'll finish off any humans you managed to save, slaughter each one of your little siblings, and then turn this world into ash. And it's all thanks to you._

Bahamut grunted under the pain. He couldn't stop it. He staggered around, making his way from the crater to the large pit in the middle of the island that still grew bigger. But the force was still growing. And it grew more insidious and mocking as well, laughing at him all the while. Now he realized his foolish choice. He realized the stupidity of what he had done. He should have known Crusader still could have taken him like this, especially now that it was inside him. He had to do something. He had to get rid of it…while he still had time and control over his body. And yet…he couldn't lose it now. If he did, it would eventually do this to someone else. But what else could he do? He couldn't keep it now…and every second he delayed gave more power to the creature…

He had to think of something…anything… There had to be something in his new mentality. There had to be some power deep within him that he hadn't seen yet…some secret in his brain he didn't think of… He had to think of it…

Finally, something did come up. It was risky now. In fact, he might die from it. But there was no other choice. It was the only way to make sure that Crusader could never return in any form. He had to try it.

Abruptly, Bahamut forced his hands down at his side. He arched his head back and stiffened. After that, he began to focus inwardly. But he focused not only mentally now, but physically. He found the shard of magicite within him. And now, he tried to accelerate what it was doing. He wanted it to intrigrate with him even faster than before. He wanted it to unite as soon as possible, to become part of him. But specifically, he didn't want it to just become a part of him generally. He too was part wisdom, part courage, and part power, as all espers and living things were. And now…he wanted it to unite with his power. Slowly, it began to work. With both Crusader and Bahamut working, it quickly began to merge. Bahamut's strength began to increase rapidly, soon beginning to bulge his muscles and increase the aura around him. But still he fed it more, wanting it to become part of him even faster…

Naturally, the voice responded.

_…What are you doing?_

Bahamut didn't answer. He kept focusing, letting it enter him. The power over his body increased as well. But he grunted and sweated and strained, struggling to keep control for a bit longer. He kept focusing, and finally it was all in his system. When that happened, Bahamut felt his consciousness fading. He felt the black closing in over him. He was running out of timefor realnow. Still in the arched position, he focused and began to draw inside him.

There was a certain process that espers were capable of. A certain method of reproduction. It had been revealed to him by the Planet. It would change him irrevocably. He would have to surrender a part of himself permanently to do it. But he was still going to try it. There was no choice. Immediately, he started to focus…

_What are you doing!_

Bahamut closed his eyes and kept focusing. Slowly…he felt the power drawn out of him again. It faded down once more, and as it did…he felt objects begin to fill his stomach. They started out small, but they all began to grow quickly. They became larger and larger as the power faded out. Soon, he was back to his previous level.

_No!_

The power kept fading, however. His aura vanished. His muscles began to atrifute. He grew skinnier and smaller, and some parts of his features began to alter as well. Still the objects in his body began to grow. They grew so large they began to push themselves out. They started to travel up his neck, making it bulge. The gag reflex was triggered. Bahamut began to choke and grow sick, and his mouth began to open as the objects were pushed out. The last bit of it went into the objects. As it did, the force left Bahamut's body. The dark cloud vanished. His control was reinstated. One last fading statement hissed viciously in his mind…

_This isn't over…_

Then, the voice was gone.

Bahamut, a skinny ruin of his former self, opened his mouth. Immediately, a great white oval was pushed out of it. It was covered with a leathery like skin. Bahamut paused a moment, but then suddenly spat out. The oval spewed out of his mouth, catapulted across the sky, far outside of Ultima Nexus, and then went sailing for the ground. But Bahamut didn't stop. He immediately spat out another. And another. And another. And another. Each one went sailing over the edge of the flying continent and went sailing randomly to the world below. But still Bahamut spat up more. It wasn't until twenty of them had come out that he finally stopped.

When that happened, Bahamut collapsed forward. His strength was totally gone. He could barely summon the strength to breathe. He could do nothing else now but lay on the edge of the growing, crumbling pit, among all the fire and destruction that continued to build around him. He was moments from passing out. The only good thing that could assure him was that Crusader was gone forever. Only if something could manage to kill all his children and their children would Crusader return. And now, the magicite was broken into so many pieces that it would never have the strength to rise and take over any of them. It truly was over now.

Bahamut smiled at this as he fell completely and shut his eyes, just as the ground beneath him gave way and he fell off of the continent to the world below.

* * *

Time was up.

Odin gaped at the sight as it finally happened. The clouds blew aside, and the dark shadow emerged. Like a flaming cinder, the ruin of Ultima Nexus, still breaking into fragments, came out of the clouds and went falling to the ground. It was flaming and smoking more than ever, yet overhead the clouds were still broken and shone light down below, beaming on this flaming wreckage as if it was an item of salvation rather than destruction. Pieces a quarter mile long broke off and crashed down. Mountains crumbled on it. Odin stared in shock on his own horse. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't had as much love for the place as the others, but he was still shocked to see it come down like that. It was really over. It was really falling in one great flaming cinder, and it was headed right for the ocean.

Odin had just felt the evil energy vanish at last. He didn't know how it had happened, but Crusader was gone for good now. Bahamut still had yet to reappear though. And now, Ultima Nexus was falling and he still hadn't come. What was worse, Bahamut's power seemed to have vanished at the same time. Had they both destroyed each other? Odin didn't know…but he continued to scan the falling land, waiting to see if anything would come up.

Then, abruptly, he saw it…falling just ahead of the island. Bahamut's body, limp as a rag, was sailing down headfirst and headed straight for the ocean.

Immediately, Odin spurred his horse on. Slepnir took off, and shot straight for the falling Bahamut. It was going to be a very close shave. Odin didn't know if he could make it. He spurred Slepnir on harder, bringing them closer and closer to the ocean and lingering longer underneath the falling island. Bahamut didn't seem to get any closer. But Odin trusted in his horse, and continued todrive him onward. He grit his teeth, not looking overhead as the flaming, smoking, crumbling overhead got closer and closer to him… He focused on Bahamut, wondering if there was time to grab him and run. The sound of destructiondrew closer, threatening to kill them both. Finally, he reached Bahamut in mid-air. Instantly, he shot out his hand, snagged the esper out of mid-air, and kept running.

He grit his teeth harder and groaned, feeling the heat of the coming island. He kept lowering himself, knowing the overhead was closing in quicker. Rocks kept falling. Debris fell around him, and the esper was forced to dodge one way and the other to escape. He drew so close to the ocean that water began to splash up around him. Odin, for a moment, thought it was over. But then, at last…he reached the edge. Moments later, Ultima Nexus crashed into the sea behind him.

Odin quickly pulled Slepnir up, making the horse shoot into the sky as fast as possible. It wasn't a moment too soon. The moment Ultima Nexus crashed down, a massive tidal wave grew from its wake. It quickly grew larger and faster, and rose up behind Odin as fast as he could go. The esper grit his teeth, holding Bahamut tight as the wind slammed against him. It threatened to push him back, but he held on tighter as he continued to rise and pick up speed. The wall of water matched up behind him, a great sizzling coming from the continent as it cooled down. A continent-sized cloud of steam and smoke arose from it. But the tidal wave kept growing, because the continent kept sinking. Odin kept rising, but the water still closed in… Finally, it began to overwhelm Odin. He felt the spray come over him from behind. He felt the water begin todouse him…

Then, at long last, he overran it. He managed to catch up over it, and the growing wave of water, already nearly a mile high, rushed underneath him. He kept climbing, not wanting it to get any higher, but he also turned Slepnir forward and began to have the horse carry him farther away. He kept riding hard for a few minutes. The wave beneath him rose a bit more, but then faltered. The huge wave of water ripped, swelling the sea and heading toward the land. But now, he was clear. At last, Odin halted his steed, and turned and looked below in safety.

They had made it.

* * *

The Planet underwent a severe change.

As Crusader had predicted, Ultima Nexus caused a ruin on the world. The massive wall of water it put out on all sides soon began to flood the land surrounding it. Anywhere the coasts were was soon flooded completely. And any life that was on those places was soon washed away. Even trees were ripped out. Rocks were upheaved and thrown away. The force of the water, fortunately, was so strong that very few could survive the initial impact. But still the tidal deluge washed over the surface of the Planet, and much of the land several miles inland was wiped out by the crashing of the waves. By the time the waves had reached the shore in some areas, they had died down considerably. But in other areas, they were still near peak as they struck. Some islands were totally wiped off of the horizon. It was terrible destruction to be sure, and undeniably so. Last of all, Ultima Nexus has fallen into the ocean. There was nothing left of the place as it sank into the sea.

A monstrous cloud of vapor and smoke rose overhead. It continued to rise as time went on. But it was mostly vapor, in the end. And it did begin to die down. And as it did die after a long while, it revealed that the hole in the clouds remained. And now, bright and glorious sunlight beat down on the world below. It shined and sparkled fully now, free of the cloud cover that had been there before. In addition to that, the fires and tornadoes faded. The sky turned normal once again. The clouds returned to the way they were.

But they didn't stay that way long. Soon, the clouds began to thin out. They grew less ominous and opaque, and instead began to let stronger light through. This didn't happen everywhere, but over much of the world it did. And it only grew in power as time went by. More clouds began to fade. More lights began to appear. At last, the clouds parted all together. The sun was allowed through. All over the Planet, the clouds continued to vanish. As they did, more and more sunlight was allowed to reach the world below. That soon caused another effect. The world grew warmer and more pleasant in places. The snow began to melt. The frost vanished. As the world was bathed in a new light, the seeds that had been so long dormant under Crusader began to germinate at last.

The world had been given a new life.

* * *

The espers stood in awe. The humans were much the same. Both groups looked up into the sky, seeing the sun beat down for the first time in a generation. Now the sun shone freely, and the sky was blue. Already, it was making everything much more comfortable. Starlet smiled and extended her arms to take in the light. The other humans, both fearful and curious, looked up and around in surprise. Palad walked forward in the midst and looked in the sky as well. They just stood there, waiting for a very long time for signs of anything to come.

But at last, the espers picked out a spot in the sky. Leviathan called up and waved to it. As it came closer, they all realized that it was Odin on Slepnir. The humans shrieked and backed up again, no doubt suspecting Crusader coming once more. But the espers and Palad waited. At long last, Odin returned to the ground. Slepnir trotted a little to slow down, but then steadied himself and came up to the other espers. Once stopped, Odin immediately dismounted. The others saw, in one arm, he was holding none other than the limp body of Bahamut.

"You did it!" Ogopogo cheered.

Wyvern was somewhat less cheerful. He saw Bahamut and recognized the change instantly. "What happened? What's wrong with him?"

At that, the other espers took a look, and saw the change too. Their faces turned from excitement to concern. Odin himself took Bahamut over to a rock and laid him against it. After that, the espers plus Palad gathered around and began to wait. They watched Bahamut and hoped for his recovery. For a while, they saw nothing. Bahamut lay perfectly still in his thin form, barely breathing and looking wasted. He seemed pale and lifeless, as if he had exhausted all the energy in his body. They held for a while, until at last Starlet spoke up.

"I know! I forgot all about this…"

Immediately, Starlet closed her eyes and focused. With her power restored, it was simple for her to transfer more of her energy to Bahamut, at least enough to make him wake up. She did so immediately. Some color returned to his face. Some life stirred within him, and he abruptly breathed in sharply. He loosened his fists at last, letting the one seed fall out. His eyes slowly cracked open at last. When it did, he moaned a bit.

"The sun… I'm back in Ultima Nexus…"

The other espers sighed in relief. They looked to each other, then turned back to him. "Sorry, Bahamut." Leviathan answered. "It's gone."

"Starving…" Bahamut moaned.

The espers reacted a moment at that. Wyvern himself looked around a bit, until he saw a squirrel that had just popped out to enjoy the sunlight. Immediately, she shot his hand over, seized the squirrel, and turned around to hand it to Bahamut. "Here."

Bahamut immediately used what tiny amount of power he received to extend his head and eat the squirrel in one snap. He immediately swallowed in a single gulp, and leaned back and breathed heavy. He panted hard for a moment, before belching out loud. The other espers leaned back a bit nervously. But then, Bahamut spoke again. "More…"

Now Leviathan looked around. He saw the ground, and saw that a small rat was running out. He looked overhead, and saw that a local owl, seeming to be confused about the change of day, had come down to get it. Leviathan watched it dive for the rat, seeming ready to snatch it. However, Leviathan caught it first. After seizing it, he brought the still struggling owl over to Bahamut, who even more ravenously than before snatched up this bird and swallowed it whole. As he ate, Starlet frowned at the sight.

"I don't see how you all can stand to eat those poor creatures." She scolded.

"Do you see any fruit trees around?" Odin grumpily answered.

Bahamut let out another large belch, and eased back again. The others looked more uneasy than before. However, after catching some breath, Bahamut had more color than before. He looked slightly more relaxed. He spoke again at last.

"Alright…that'll do for now…" He admitted. "But I'm still starving."

"I'll go find something bigger." Wyvern responded. He immediately turned and began to flap his wings, taking off into the sky again.

"Or some fruit!" Starlet called as he flew into the sky and began to disappear. She sighed after he left, and turned back to the others in disgust.

"What happened up there?" Leviathan asked. "What's wrong with you? You look different."

Bahamut smiled a bit at that. He managed a small, weak laugh. "That's because I _am_ different. Technically, I'm not Bahamut."

The other espers immediately turned from curiosity to surprise. They stood in stunned silence.

"Pardon me?" Leviathan asked.

"After I killed Crusader…" Bahamut explained. "I knew that if its magicite was left alone, it could one day come back. So I ate it. I thought that if I did, and the magicite was inside me, and I was the strongest being in the world and immortal, no one could ever get it because they would have to kill me. But I was wrong. The magicite began to invade my body, and nearly took me over. There was only one thing I could do.

"The Planet had taught me how to reproduce when I learned my Omniapex. One of the ways I could reproduce was by voluntarily breaking off a piece of myself. I could either choose between my good half and evil half…which I wasn't eager to do, or I could have broken off a part of myself like Crusader did…wisdom, courage, and power. If I lost my wisdom, I'd lose everything I had gotten. If I lost my courage, I'd lose any of my integrity or good points. So I sacrificed my power. So I'm really only 2/3rds Bahamut."

"Hey, Bahamut Scholangi!"

The other espers turned to the sight of this. They soon found themselves looking at Palad. He was standing sort of behind the others, but was looking in as much as possible. He now perked up a bit and looked into the crowd, and explained his reasoning. "It's not an esper word. It's a human one. It means 'wise man'. I figured it fit because Bahamut only has his wisdom and courage now."

The other espers looked a bit skeptical, but Bahamut was especially uneasy.

"Uh…Bahamut will do."

Odin crossed his own arms and snorted. "So what? Now not only is Crusader back, but it has all your power. I'd say the situation is worse."

Bahamut cracked a smile at that. "I didn't say I just made one of me. I broke off twenty of them. Ten different kinds, and a male and female of each. I spat out their eggs just before I passed out. In a day, they'll hatch. Each one of them only has a small part of Crusader in it, not enough to take them over. Each one will be free to make their own lifetime decisions. As they have children, they'll become more diffuse than before. But each one is still our inferior in power. Well…maybe not mine at this point…"

Abruptly, Wyvern dropped back down. He held a deer this time, and handed it over to Bahamut. Immediately, Bahamut seized it and began to hungrily dig in, swallowing huge mouthfuls of deer this time. The others let him hungrily dig in for a few moments. But then, Starlet spoke up again.

"So, in time, you'll be as strong as before?"

Bahamut paused a moment, but ruefully shook his head no as he ate. "Sorry. I'll never be as strong as I used to be. I'm a different, lower-powered creature now."

Wyvern seemed to be intriguedat that. He turned his head to that and opened his eyes.

Bahamut just finished devouring the deer. After doing that, he tossed the nearly bare bones away to one side. He sighed deeply…and then emitted the largest belch yet. The others grimaced at that, but quickly recovered. Bahamut groaned a bit, and immediately put his hands underneath him. He was quivering and trembling, but began to slowly rise. He groaned and grunted the whole way. His shoestring muscles could barely hold him.

"Should you be getting up so soon?" Leviathan asked.

"No choice." Bahamut groaned in response. "I need to start rebuilding my strength. It'll take weeks before my muscles can be rebuilt fully. But I've got to start building them up. Even eating that deer took almost everything Starlet gave me out of me…"

"Starlet, take some out of me next." Leviathan volunteered. Starlet nodded, and already began to get up and go to work.

"There's a lot to do." Bahamut answered as he kept rising. "First off, you guys have to learn your own Omniapexs. There's a lot of power and knowledge in you that you need to get in touch with. And we've got to do something about the humans as well. These are the only survivors, and they're going to have to start a new life together."

"Well…what exactly do you think we should say?" Odin asked.

Bahamut paused at that. He was silent, and nervously licked his lips.

* * *

Despite the sunshine, the sun rapidly set soon afterward. The day was late, and the espers were overwhelmed at all that happened. All of them were exhausted from what they had done. In one day, they had killed both the Four Fiends and Crusader. They had flown from one end of the Planet to the other. Now, they were tired and needed to rest. And so, nothing was planned for that day. All of the espers went down and rested, forming a barrier around the humans. The group was, of course, rather terrified looking. They were all scared at the new monsters. However, Palad constantly reassured them, telling them that they were friends. Some accepted this reluctantly, others were scared of Palad as well, seeing how he was engaging in a lot of forbidden practices. As a result, there was still a lot of distrust of the espers, and a lot of calling them demons. However, all were too scared to do anything about it.

The humans stayed awake for a long time. None of them wanted to sleep outside of the "watch of Griever". But it had been an exhausting day. They had seen the tidal waves, the crash of Ultima Nexus, and then the end of the cloud cover and bringing the sunlight down. None could dispute that they enjoyed the sunlight and the warmth. But other than that, they were still uneasy. Some were so exhausted that they finally went to sleep, but most of them weren't. They stayed up all night, watching the espers and waiting for signs of anything. Mostly, they only looked uneasy at the ravenous Bahamut almost constantly eating, using almost all of his new power to eat more, replenishing his strength just enough to eat more.

The next morning, Bahamut's muscles had been all overworked, and he was so sore that he could barely move. But he wasn't in a state of constant starvation either. The few humans that had fallen asleep awakened with the sun, for none were used to it actually rising. But rise they did, all one by one until they were all up. When that happened, the espers went to work again. They gathered all of their attentions together and stood before them. Despite Bahamut's weakness, he wanted to be the one to address them all. The others moved him in front of the group. Once he was there, and in full view, Bahamut called out in their native language to get their attention. Hearing them speak in this tongue, and in Bahamut's monstrous voice, the people quieted down, and quickly turned to him.

"By now, you all are probably wondering what has happened. I will explain, and please believe my words. I guarantee that they are real. The Griever that you all followed was a false god. It was a creature like the rest of you that hungered for power and might. It wanted to dominate you all and destroy you. That was why it destroyed Ultima Nexus and sent it falling down, so that the wave would wipe you out. The thing kept you low on purpose. It only prohibited clothing and tools because it didn't want you to one day surpass it. It wanted you all to stay weak so that it could always overwhelm you. Even the sky was due to it. It was covered with clouds constantly so that none of you could get any of this light or warmth, and that few plants could grow. But in time, it didn't care about just having you as its subjects. It wanted you all dead because it was scared. That's why it did this. That's why it sent its monsters to start destroying the world. That's why those fiends were killing you all before it did this last act.

"But believe me when I tell you that Griever is dead. We're not monsters or demons as you might think. We realized what Griever was doing and killed it. Griever was one of us. Griever was an esper, and just as mortal as you or me. But the thing is gone. Destroyed. Along with the Four Fiends of the Elements. There's nothing left of it. You don't have to live in fear or terror anymore. You don't have to be afraid of the things it forbade you to do. Those weren't evil. It was the truly evil one. And it will not attack you again. You don't have to live in terror of it while you all die one by one.

"It would have killed you all, but now you have a chance for life. You can rebuild and live free from Griever now. You don't have to worry about the monsters killing you again. You're alright now. And if you still doubt whether or not Crusader was a false god, then I suggest you look at this."

At that, Bahamut turned to one side. Odin stepped forward. As he did, the people saw what he was holding in his grasp. They saw that it was none other than one of Griever's idols. Some gaped and gasped. Some looked terrified, and others bowed. Odin said nothing, just set the idol down in their midst for all to see. After that, he stepped back again and left it.

For a few moments, there was silence. Bahamut read their minds. Some were wondering what would happen. Some were scared. Others thought Griever would arise and destroy the espers now. However, nothing happened initially. When one did step forward, it was not an esper at all.

It was Palad.

The humans were surprised at this turn of events. Some murmured among themselves of the rules that Palad had broken. But all looked ready to see what would happen next. They saw that Palad had a cold look. His face had never been so hard or determined. And now, he walked forward in his hide clothing, hoisting his bone axe along with him. He marched right up to the idol of Griever, and held there for a moment. He wanted to get the attention of all of the people surrounding him. Then, he swung his axe back behind his head, brought it around, and brung it down on the idol. Immediately, the idol broke from the impact, shattering and flying into pieces.

Some humans gasped. They stared in shock. Others were silent. In their minds, Bahamut could sense that many of them went quiet. Their earlier disputes had been quieted for at least the moment. The humans were all silent now, and none said a word at the moment. They just considered all that had happened and said nothing. There were a mixture of looks on faces. Some were shocked. Some were confused. Some were indifferent. But no one said anything else as Palad first spat on the idol, then turned and walked away back to the other espers.

Bahamut was finished. He turned away, and let the humans come to their own conclusions.

* * *

"Hey Bahamut…do you know anything about these?"

It was much later in the day. Bahamut was leaning against a rock, trying to let his muscle soreness die down and eating whenever he could. However, he had just been alerted to Starlet's voice. He perked his head up, and turned over to the sight. As he did, he saw that the other espers were already focused on the newest sight and seemed intrigued. Much as it pained him, Bahamut groaned and got to his own feet. After that, he stumbled over to the sight as well. Farther behind them, Palad was talking with the humans at the clearing, explaining to the newest converts what exactly had happened. Some were beginning to come around though most were confused. One child even wanted a set of clothes like Palad, and began to pull one of Bahamut's discarded hides around himself. But that was besides the point for the time being. Bahamut was interested in this new sight.

Bahamut followed the espers over to a second clearing, not far from the first. They had to cross some forest to get there, which was already starting to sprout new plants beneath it, but they reached it pretty quickly. Once they had come to the edge, the group looked into the clearing, and was amazed at the new appearance.

Coming out of the sky, one by one, were a strange set of reptile like creatures. They all appeared to be like Bahamut in some ways, having small claws and tails and wings and beaked faces. But they were all different as well, each one showing some signs of uniqueness or individuality. There were five colors in all, gold, silver, bronze, copper, and brass. They were flimsy little things too. They were barely the size of a human child. One by one, they all gathered and landed in the clearing. After that, they made small noises, then began to rush over to the espers. They looked at them curiously, turning their heads one way and another.

Bahamut laughed nervously. "I guess…they're my children."

Starlet beamed at a gold one of them. "Oh, so cute!" She exclaimed, reached down and beginning to pet its head. "It looks like you when you were a child, Bahamut."

The reptilian creature looked curiously at Starlet's hand…then began to gnaw one of her fingers.

"Ouch!" She yelped. "No! Don't do that."

The creature didn't seem to understand, and kept gnawing. Finally, Starlet slapped him on the nose. The thing gave a pathetic cry, then shrank back and looked up at Starlet innocently.

The others were moving to the espers and likewise irritating them. One tugged at Odin's clothes. Others chased around Wyvern's tails. Others climbed on Leviathan and Ogopogo. They all tried to talk to them, but it was futile. None of them understood anything except being slapped away, and even then they seemed confused and sometimes came back.

"Why don't they understand?" Leviathan asked. "When we were kids, we could talk and obey at least…"

"Well, they only have my power in them." Bahamut admitted as one tugged on his wing. "They don't have any of my intelligence. I suppose I could have tried to feed some into them, but I was in a rush."

"They don't seem like espers either." Leviathan added. "I'm scanning their minds, but they don't have any of the hidden powers or intelligence. They're blank, just like any other creatures. They have intelligence, which means they can be as smart as humans at least. But nothing preset."

"I don't think they are espers." Bahamut commented. "My reproduction should have produced espers, but I split it up so much that they only became esper-like."

"So, little Bahamut Voltaries." Starlet commented.

Bahamut looked to them in confusion. "Huh?"

"That's what Palad called them." Ogopogo responded. "It means 'power and courage'…"

Bahamut immediately waved that off. "Ok, I got it. But I don't want to use that name." He responded impatiently, not liking the sound of that. "How about this. Let's make up a new name."

"How about dead weight?" Wyvern frowned in response. "We're just going to have to drag them on wherever we go."

Bahamut brightened up at that, however. He turned to Wyvern and held up his claw. "That sounds good. Why don't we call them 'drag-them-ons'?"

"How about, 'drag-ons'?" Leviathan returned. "That sounds kind of dumb."

"Whatever you call them…" Odin darkly replied. "You're going to have some work cut out for you. Only ten are here. Where are the other ten?"

"Gone, I guess." Bahamut simply replied. That cause some confusion among the group, who looked to him in puzzlement. They wondered how he could be so nonchalant. After a moment, however, he explained. "I never expected them all to return. They knew they had to come back to me when they hatched. Some of them did. Some of them didn't. They had their own choices."

"So some of them are already disobedient?" Leviathan asked.

"What if…they become violent?" Ogopogo asked in fear.

"Don't worry." Bahamut asked. "They'll never be as strong as I was. I broke into too many pieces."

"Great…" Odin frowned in response. "I new bunch of drag-ons to carry along. What do we do next?"

"One more thing…" Bahamut responded. "We have to find a new home. And before we do…I have to explain something to you all."

* * *

By the early afternoon, the espers were all in agreement. They began to gather themselves together again. Leviathan safeguarded the four pieces of the Crystal. Starlet held Phoenix's magicite. Ogopogo held the seed. Bahamut was ready to be carried out by Odin. Already, his muscles had regained a tiny bit of mass, but it was still days before he could fly on his own. When that all happened, they reassembled with the humans, and Palad came out before them.

"How are they doing, Palad?" Bahamut asked.

The boy smiled in reply. "Better than I thought they would. Five of the kids are already coming together, and I'm making pants for them out of the deer skin. One of them is trying out my spear idea. We're going to try and find a cave area or old tree that we can move people into. So pretty soon, we'll be in good shape. Some people are still reluctant, but I think they'll feel better after a while like I did."

"That's good to hear, Palad." Bahamut simply answered. He looked up to the others at this, pausing for a moment. Starlet was averting her gaze. Her eyes were watering a bit, but she choked it back. Leviathan and Ogopogo bowed their heads. The others looked sad too. However, Bahamut at last turned back to the human. "Listen Palad. Now that my children are here…we're leaving."

"Great!" Palad replied. "Where are we going? Ultima Nexus is gone."

"We'll find another place Palad…but that's not your concern anymore." The esper slowly replied. He felt a weight in his own heart. Already, he felt a longing inside him. He swallowed back and deep. But after inhaling sharply, he was able to speak again.

"Palad, you're not coming with us. You have to stay here and help the humans."

At that, the news finally hit the boy. His face turned to surprise, and was frozen for a brief moment. "What?" He asked.

"Palad, you have to stay with these people." Bahamut answered. "They need you now."

"But…" Palad began to respond. "But…what about you guys? Aren't you going to teach them everything they need?"

Bahamut looked up and looked to the others. Wyvern frowned, crossed his arms, and looked away. But other than that, the others were resolute. Starlet turned away more, hiding her eyes. At last, Bahamut turned back to him. "Palad…we don't want to teach them. We can't. Everyone took orders from Griever last time, and you see the chaos that resulted. If we stay here, people might start to worship us too. And then everything could happen all over again. We're still trying to figure things out ourselves and make our own ways in the world. We don't want to have to be accountable for all of you." He paused. "…We can't stay."

Palad's eyes grew larger. He hesitated and grasped the seriousness of that, and the fullness of what it meant. Slowly, tears began to form in his own eyes. That only made Bahamut feel worse on the inside, and colder throughout. "But…you can't leave!" He suddenly protested. "We need you! I need you!"

"You don't need us." Bahamut gently answered. "You've grown into a strong young man. And I can't think of anyone better who could teach these people all that they need to know. They deserve to have a human ruling over them, and I think you would be best for the job. None of them have as much wisdom and courage as you do."

"But you're my friends!" Palad broke out in a sob.

None of the other espers could respond to that. They all went silent. Bahamut himself lowered his head and said nothing. Starlet, unable to hold back, began to cry. Leviathan and Ogopogo did as well. Even Odin looked sadder. Wyvern and Bahamut alone held back their tears. At length, Bahamut opened his arms and extended them to the crying human. He immediately ran forward and put his head against his chest and cried there. The esper hugged him for a moment, continuing to hold and not saying anything for a little while.

"Palad…" Bahamut spoke at last while hugging him. "You are our friend as well. And because of you, we've become much more than we ever dreamed. It is because of you that we gained the power to destroy the Four Fiends and Griever. You made this all possible, including this victory today. And now, today…you must help your friends and fellow people to survive. They need you more than anything now. You must help them and show the love for them that you showed us. This is your world now, and it will be up to someone brave like you to take it. You must let us go for their sakes. I know it is hard…but you have to be strong now."

Palad continued to sniffle and cry for a few moments longer. He held for a long time. Bahamut knew what he was thinking, not through his powers, but because he was thinking the same thing. He thought if they didn't let go they would never have to. But that time would come. It had to come. Bahamut didn't want the godhood that Crusader had craved. This did all have to end now, tonight. And it wouldn't so long as espers remained among humans. They had to leave them alone and make their own choices and decisions, for better or for worse. And deep down inside, he knew that Palad would understand this too.

At last, Palad choked back his tears. He sniffled and managed to speak.

"…Will I ever see you again?"

Bahamut slowly pulled Palad away at that. He held him at arms length, but kept his hands on his shoulders. He lowered himself until he was down to eye level with Palad. The tear-streaked face of Palad looked right back to Bahamut, who made himself firm and hard and spoke with seriousness. He held up his hand and placed it on Palad's chest.

"We will always be right here for you."

Palad sniffed a bit, but stood still. He managed a nod as well.

"I love you, Bahamut."

Bahamut smiled. "I love you too, Palad."

The two embraced again at that, holding more tightly and strong than before. After that, Bahamut stepped back, and let the tearful Starlet embrace the human as well. Leviathan and Ogopogo both did so next, embracing Palad more than once with their coils. Odin was next, who didn't hug at all but gave a bow to the young man. Palad responded by running forward and hugging him. The warrior esper blushed in reply a moment…before returning the hug. Wyvern came forward afterward, and in his typical manner reached out a claw and moused up Palad's hair.

"Keep out of trouble, you little runt." He playfully mocked.

Palad smiled softly. "You bet."

With that done, the espers all backed up. They looked at Palad one last time longingly, freezing him in their memories as he did the same. Then, at last, Bahamut turned and went to Odin, letting him grab him. Starlet jumped on behind the warrior, and Leviathan grabbed Ogopogo. Odin spurred Slepnir on, and instantly, they took off into the sky. Wyvern quickly flew afterward. Leviathan and Ogopogo were last, taking off as well. The ten little mini-Bahamuts then followed after, having already imprinted on Bahamut and not planning to leave his sight for a moment. They all rose high into the heavens, until each one of them and their last looks, focused on Palad until the end, became black spots. After that, they turned, and took off into the sky. Palad watched them go for as long as he could, focusing on them until they were completely gone. But they did leave in the end, and Palad was alone.

Brushing away a tear and inhaling deeply…Palad turned to return to the others…and forge a new world.

* * *

The End

* * *

**The Griever Saga is Complete.**

**

* * *

**

Don't go away! I have one more post!


	24. Author's Final Ramblings

Thank you all for pausing to read my story. I know it dragged in points, and that the final fight with Griever took too long, but there will be less of that and more plotline in the next fanfictions.

"The Griever Saga" was mostly my prelude to the Final Fantasy series. It basically told about how the espers came into the world and how the Third Age, the Age of Espers, began. (I won't write about this, but I will allude to it later in the story, but what the espers don't know is that there have already been two other ages on Gaia, the Age of Creation, and the Age of Corruption.)

Coming Soon: I will begin posts on the next fanfiction in "The Servant" series, "The Chaos Legacy". As the espers set about becoming independent and forming their own kingdom, the seeds of evil within their hearts germinate to produce a wickedness that threatens the world… This fanfiction will take place in between the time period from the end of "The Griever Saga" all the way to the end of the first Final Fantasy. It will begin to allude to the other FF games as well at points (particularly FFIX), so if you like that then keep reading!

Now that I am finally done, I wanted to throw in a bonus. You may or may not want to read this next section. If you don't, don't worry about it. It's not that important. This is just something I came up with that I thought was interesting. I have quantified the power within each of my characters in "The Griever Saga" in a numerical format. I think of it like their HP level or something. Then I made a chart comparing their powers to each other throughout the saga. If you have odd little quirks (like me :P) for that sort of thing, read on! If not…see you next fanfiction!

Power Ratings:

Average Human (For Reference): 5

This seems like a good estimate to me. Most humans are weak and sickly after being abused by Griever for so long. And this is a time in history before humans had people who had a lot of "HP" or "power" or whatever.

_Beginning_

Bahamut: 43

Wyvern: 41

Odin: 50

Leviathan: 22

Ogopogo: 20

Starlet: 17

Phoenix: 11

Crusader's Wisdom Form: 3,764

This is a look at what the espers and their matron looked like at the beginning of the series, after the espers were teenagers. They don't appear much, but even now they are much stronger than anything on Gaia. Also note how Odin is the strongest at this point. Crusader is also incredibly powerful, dwarfing their own strengths.

_Bahamut and Wyvern vs. Lich I and II_

Palad: 2

Jadea: 0.5

Lich: 502

Bahamut (After learning Pyrin): 98

Wyvern (After learning Pyrin): 83

Palad was just a kid, so he only started with a 2. Jadea is an old man, so he had even less. As you can see, Lich is much stronger than either esper, yet still nothing compared to Crusader. The previous numbers for Bahamut and Wyvern were theirs for the first fight. Also, you can see how much strength the two espers get, but are still far inferior to Lich.

_Bahamut, Wyvern, and Odin vs. Lich and Kary_

Kary: 781

Odin: 103

Odin with Zantetsuken: 488

Bahamut and Wyvern's numbers are the same as they were in the last battle. As you can see, they were nothing compared to the fiends, especially Kary. Odin is a bit below Lich, but Lich also didn't use any tactics or moves, and had lost his temper and fought recklessly.

_The Seven Espers vs. The Four Fiends_

Odin (After training): 564

Leviathan (After training): 177

Ogopogo (After training): 120

Starlet (After training): 118

Phoenix (After training): 92

Palad (After training): 8

Lich Z: 1,004

Kary with Pyrosuken: 1,098

Kraken: 1,124

Tiamat: 1,680

Wyvern: 809

Bahamut: 1,200

Tiamat's Pyron: 2,530

Bahamut's Megapyrin: 4,230

The espers increased dramatically over their original values, but it's plain to see they never had a chance against the fiends. It also shows that Bahamut only blew Lich away so easily because Lich was weak against fire. You may wonder how he was able to keep up with Tiamat at this level, but note that he was getting tired and injured far more easily than Tiamat. Also, note that Bahamut's Megapyrin could blow away Crusader's Wisdom Form, just as Tiamat claimed.

_Odin, Ogopogo, Leviathan, and Starlet vs. Crusader's Wisdom Form_

Odin (Recovered): 706

Leviathan (Recovered): 503

Ogopogo (Recovered): 231

Ashura: 4,090

Crusader still had the same power as she did in the beginning. As you can see, even all three espers wouldn't do much good. Ashura was only a little above Crusader, but note that she was armed and had more limbs.

_Odin, Ogopogo, Leviathan, Phoenix, and Wyvern vs. Crusader's Courage Form_

Crusader's Courage Form: 6,555

Wyvern (Recovered): 2,800

Ashura might have been able to last longer against this form, however her Ashura transformation worked something like a "trance" and maximized her power. She couldn't maintain that level of combat long. As you see, Wyvern was boosted far above the others, but he was still nothing even against the courage form.

_Bahamut, Odin, and Wyvern vs. Crusader's Power Form_

Crusader's Power Form: 9,210

Bahamut (Recovered): 7,004

Crusader's Power Form (After Omni): 18,420

Odin's Gunge Lance: 13,098

Bahamut was still well below Crusader's Power Form when he arrived. But keep in mind he wasn't trying to directly slug it out with the form, but that he was trying to fight intelligently. After Omni, it's clear why Crusader was mopping the floor with Bahamut, and why even an attack of Odin's Gunge Lance didn't work.

_The Seven Espers vs. Crusader's 4th Form_

Crusader's 4th Form: 28,000

Wyvern (Revived): 3,278

Bahamut's Megapyrin: 20,333

Note that Crusader's 4th Form is close to the sum of the three separate form's powers, because the 4th Form is nothing more than all three at once. When Wyvern was revived, he was revived at full power, and being reborn gave him a slight boost. At this level, you can see how he was able to go toe-to-toe with the Wisdom Form. Bahamut's Megapyrin also did more damage now that Bahamut was revived, but it failed to succeed against the full power of the 4th Form.

_Bahamut vs. Partial Griever_

Partial Griever (5th Form): 45,866

Bahamut (Borrowing power): 21,632

Bahamut (Borrowing power with Wyvern): 54,288

These jumps may seem a bit drastic for Bahamut. If you were confused at this point, here's the explanation. The thing was, because the others had been physically training, they were actually _stronger_ in a physical sense than Bahamut. They had more raw power, they just were unable to use it fully. Bahamut was able to use most of his power to its best ability, so giving him more of the same enabled him to rocket up in power.

_Bahamut vs. Griever_

Griever (6th Form): 67,000

Bahamut (After attaining Omniapex): 70,040

Griever's Shockwave Pulsar (Attempted): 80,000

Bahamut's Sol-pyrin: 100,000

As you can see, unlocking the last of his hidden powers only gave Bahamut a moderately little boost over his previous level, and that he was still just a little above Griever. The reason Griever lost was because it fought more recklessly and lost control, but also because Griever was not used to operating so much power in a single body, and like Bahamut said he was burning himself out. Note the "attempted" on Griever's Shockwave Pulsar. If the attack had detonated, it would have been stronger. Here's how it works in my stories. Both attacks canceled each other out until one overcame the other. By that point, there was only about 20,000 worth of power left in the Sol-Pyrin. But it was still an incredibly powerful attack, and Griever was already tired and unstable, so it made it break.

_Bahamut vs. Crusader's 4th Form_

Crusader's 4th Form (Restored): 17,000

Crusader's Purifier: 120,000

Bahamut's Final Megapyrin: 30,000

As you can see, the attack was so strong that it left Crusader with no chance of winning. But you also see that his Purifier was, in fact, stronger than his last move. Even if Bahamut had managed a Sol-pyrin, he still would have lost. But it didn't take long at all for him to make a Megapyrin that would overwhelm the little power Crusader had left.

_Final_

Bahamut Scholangi: 3

Bahamut Voltaries: 100 (Each)

As it is clear, Bahamut had to relinquish his power to make the Bahamut Voltaries, at the expense of his own strength. He was weaker than Palad at that point.


End file.
